Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland failed to make the cut, while Rory McIlroy was forced to fight to get into the weekend as the headliners struggled in a dramatic second round at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

However, Scotsman Evan Ferguson had a stellar weekend, taking a one-shot lead with a 7-under 65, capped by a remarkable and very lucky eagle on the 18th hole.

World No. 141 Ferguson, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, hit too hard his second time on the par-5 final hole but saw the ball bounce off a large advertising board onto the green and land short of the pin. at 5 feet.

He made the eagle putt to move to 12 under for the week.

New Zealander David Hillier also shot 65, ranking second and the only player within three strokes of Ferguson. LIV Golf’s Tyrrell Hatton (65) tied for third at 8 under after a round with eight birdies.

But Hatton’s LIV colleague Rahm performed poorly in the round, shooting 77 and ending up two strokes away from par. Hovland, ranked No. 8 in the world, shot 73 after shooting a 75 in the first round to finish at 4 over par.

“I wouldn’t say everything went smoothly,” Lahm said. “No part of today’s game was anywhere near the average I wanted to be.”

McIlroy falls further behind – but can he repeat his comeback in 2024?

McIlroy did secure a spot in the final two rounds, but he will start Saturday nine shots behind Ferguson and will need to give it all if he is to win the event for a third and fourth consecutive year.

Although McIlroy finished with four birdies and showed off his driving skills earlier by hitting the green on the 356-yard par-4 second hole, McIlroy admitted that at the end of the round he felt “A little frustrated.” Wind changes and rough “sticky” conditions.

However, he was heartened when McIlroy successfully defended his title after trailing 10 shots after 36 holes last year.

“I would say the winning score is not going to be much higher than what the leader is doing now, especially the way the course has played on weekends and the way this golf course has played on weekends for a few years now,” he added.

“The greens are going to continue to get a lot firmer and there’s going to be a lot of emphasis on hitting the fairways and hitting a lot of greens. If I can focus on that over the weekend and get a few putts down, I think I’m still pretty good. opportunity.”

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Sky Sports Heroes Dubai Desert Classic

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