Ewen Ferguson posted a second-day 65 and will take a one-shot lead into the weekend at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Through 36 holes, the Scotsman sits atop the leaderboard at 12-under par, one-stroke clear of New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier.
Ferguson’s second-round performance was headlined by a bogey-free scorecard, highlighted by an eagle on the 18th hole where he benefited from a bit of luck after his ball hit the grandstand and bounced back onto the green.
“I think I played well,” said Ferguson, when asked to sum up his round. “I just stuck to my game plan. Saying that to Nick (his caddie) there, I didn’t try and overpower the course like I had tried to last year. It’s just not my game. I hit 7-wood on some of the shorter holes that are tight and gave myself chances.
“Last year I felt like I tried to almost drive it on the greens, I don’t hit it as far as someone like Rory and I had an awkward 30-yarder from the heavy rough but this time had a good strategy and felt good support out there so far. Yeah, 65 sounds nice.”
Hillier also shot a bogey-free 65 and closely trails at -11. The New Zealander signed for a card featuring five birdies and an eagle on the 18th.
“Two very different days of golf,” said Hillier. “I think day one, striped it off the tee and gave myself a lot of chances. Just a solid round of golf.
“Today a few extra putts went in than I was expecting. Yeah, it’s nice to see those drop and hopefully they keep dropping.”
A group of four players were tied for third and within striking distance at 8 under, including Tyrrell Hatton (65), Jason Scrivener (69), Laurie Canter (68) and Shaun Norris (67).
American amateur David Ford, the overnight co-leader, struggled to 75 and now sits T24 at -4.
The cutline was even-par 133 with Jon Rahm the biggest name to miss the weekend. The Spaniard entered the day comfortably inside the top 10 at -3, but a second-round 5-over 77 ended his tournament early. Viktor Hovland, who won this event in 2022, also missed the cut after rounds of 75 and 73.
Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Top-5 Leaders: Round 2
1. Ewen Ferguson -12 (-7)
2. Daniel Hillier -11 (-7)
3. Tyrrell Hatton -8 (-7)
3. Shaun Norris -8 (-5)
3. Laurie Canter -8 (-4)
3. Jason Scrivener -8 (-3)
European Tour press releases and data contributed to this recap.
