David GonzalezTapio Pulkkanen, Liam Nolan and Matthis Besard share the halfway lead at the Abu Dhabi Challenge, but the neatness of a three-way tie rather disguises how differently they got there.
All three reached nine under par at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club. Pulkkanen did it with the round of the day, Nolan via a detour through trouble and Besard by refusing to make a bogey for the second consecutive round.
Behind them, Maxence Giboudot and Adam Blomme sit one stroke back, close enough to ensure there will be precious little room for administrative error over the weekend.
For Pulkkanen in particular, the arithmetic now extends well beyond the leaderboard.
Pulkkanen finds another gear as the wind fades
The Finn’s six-under-par 64 was the strongest second-round score among the leaders and carried him into the final group.
He reached the turn two under for the day before making his move as conditions became less troublesome. Four gains on the back nine completed a round that included a birdie at the tenth, an eagle at the 18th and a lengthy birdie putt at the eighth.
“It was a great round,” Pulkkanen said.
“I made a birdie on the tenth hole which is a tough par five today into the wind. The eagle on 18 helped me and then I played really nicely on the back nine and made lots of birdies as the wind died down.
“I holed a very long putt on eight which was a nice bonus towards the end of the round.”
A pleasant bonus, certainly. Golfers have been known to accept those.
More importantly, Pulkkanen has given himself another opportunity to strengthen a season already containing victory at the Danish Golf Challenge.
The two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner is 13th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings, placing him squarely inside the part of the season where a leaderboard can double as an exercise in career planning.
“I’m kind of on the bubble right now being 13th in the Rankings so I want to have a nice finish,” he said.
“The goal is to be in the top 15 at the end of the year so it would be great to have a good weekend here.”
Nolan turns trouble into five closing birdies
If Pulkkanen’s 64 gathered momentum neatly, Nolan’s 65 required rather more improvisation.
The Irishman birdied three holes in four from the fourth before a bogey at nine and double bogey at the tenth threatened to derail his round. Instead, the damage produced precisely the opposite response.
Five birdies followed on the back nine, including one at the last, and Nolan walked off level with Pulkkanen and Besard.
“My caddie said to me on 11 that I am swinging it well and to just reset. I knew I was playing well and rattled off five birdies coming in,” Nolan said. “I wasn’t too worried about the bogey and the double, you get tough lies out here so that happens, but I was still very happy with my finish.”
It was a useful recovery at a useful time.
Nolan is still seeking his first HotelPlanner Tour victory and acknowledged that the closing part of the season has added consequence to each mistake — and each opportunity.
“Obviously it’s that time of the year where every shot matters a little bit more. I’m just going to continue to be patient like I’ve done all year and I’m happy to be back at the top of the leaderboard; I feel like I’ve been playing well.
“This weekend will be a good test of where my game is at before I head to China next week so really looking forward to it.”
Besard keeps the card spotless
Besard’s route to nine under was considerably quieter, although hardly less valuable.
The Belgian added a three-under 67 to his opening round and has yet to make a bogey this week. His second clean card was protected at the final hole by a sand save, preserving both the score and a rather tidy statistical distinction.
He was also the first player to reach nine under.
For the 26-year-old, the wider significance is immediate. Besard currently sits outside the provisional cut-off for the forthcoming back-to-back events in China, placing rather more weight than usual on a weekend that was unlikely to require additional encouragement.
“It was very nice and it wasn’t easy out there,” he said. “This morning it was quite windy so to stay bogey-free is really pleasing.
“Obviously you’re thinking about it [China cut-off] but it’s actually made things quite easy for me. I know what needs to happen this week and haven’t been too bothered by it.
“I’ve told myself that the guys who’ve played for a long time are able to handle these situations. I’m just telling myself to do my job and it’s gone well so far but I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
One shot separates five players
That last sentence rather neatly covers the entire leaderboard.
Pulkkanen, Nolan and Besard are nine under. Giboudot and Blomme are eight under. Nobody at the top has acquired anything resembling breathing room.
The intrigue is helped by the contrast between the leaders. Pulkkanen brings recent winning form and a top-15 Rankings target. Nolan has just demonstrated that one ugly hole need not infect the next eight. Besard has gone 36 holes without surrendering a shot to par while playing with an increasingly important China cut-off in the background.
They will settle the first part of the argument together.
The third round begins at 6:30am local time on Friday, with Pulkkanen, Nolan and Besard forming the final group at 8:20am.
Nine under has bought them the best seats in the house. It has bought none of them any comfort.
