Hovland "Tied 2nd by 1 Stroke"... Morikawa and McIlroy Tied 60th

DP World Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship Day 2: Jamieson Leads, Poulter Tied 2nd, Rory Tied 5th

Victor Hovland (right) and Collin Morikawa are playing at the 3rd hole during a sandstorm on the second day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Abu Dhabi (UAE) = Getty Images / Multibits

[Asia Economy Reporter No Woo-rae] ‘Taekwon Man’ Viktor Hovland (Norway) is taking a breather.

On the 22nd (Korean time), at Yas Links in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Par 72, 7,425 yards), the second day of the DP World Tour (European Tour) ‘Rolex Series Round 1’ Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (total prize money $8 million) saw Hovland lose 2 strokes but maintain a tie for 2nd place (6 under par, 138 strokes). Scott Jamieson (Scotland) is leading with 7 under par, 137 strokes. Due to strong sand winds followed by sunset, 38 players were unable to complete their rounds.

Starting tied for 2nd place, 1 stroke behind the leader, Hovland recorded 1 birdie and 3 bogeys. After a bogey on the 11th hole (par 5), he recovered with a birdie on the 12th hole (par 4), but immediately made another bogey on the 13th hole (par 3). He added one more bogey over the remaining 14 holes. He struggled on the greens due to the strong sandy winds. Being just 1 stroke behind the leader, this is a good opportunity for Hovland to aim for his second career win on the DP World Tour, seven months after his first victory at the BMW International in June last year.

Jamieson also lost 2 strokes with 2 birdies, 2 bogeys, and 1 double bogey but maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard for the second consecutive day. He is a player who won his only title at the Nelson Mandela Championship in December 2012. Jamieson said, "Given the harsh conditions today, I am very satisfied with this result," adding, "The gusty winds made shots difficult, but putting was especially challenging. Fortunately, my putting inside 5 feet (1.524 meters) was good enough to keep the lead."

Ian Poulter and James Morrison (both England) are tied for 2nd place, while four players including 2019 champion Shane Lowry (Ireland) are tied for 5th place (5 under par, 139 strokes). Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton (England) collapsed with 5 over par, dropping to a tie for 23rd place (1 under par, 143 strokes). Tommy Fleetwood (England), who won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, is tied for 30th place (even par, 144 strokes). World No. 2 Collin Morikawa (USA) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) are tied for 60th place (3 over par, 147 strokes).