By GolfDigestME.com
It is all to play for heading into the final day of Made in Himmerland as four players share the third round lead, with English trio Ross McGowan, Oliver Wilson and Matthew Southgate joined by Italy’s Francesco Laporta at the summit on 17-under.

Packed crowds enjoyed moving day at Himmerland, where Englishman Matthew Jordan equalled the course record with a nine-under 62 to move to within one shot of the lead on 16-under, while American John Catlin delighted the fans with a hole-in-one at the 16th — known as Himmerland Hill.

The spectators witnessed another remarkable hole-out for Southgate, whose second shot on the par four first hole dropped into the cup for an eagle two. His six-under 65 was matched by former Ryder Cup player Wilson, who could have led outright only for back-to-back bogeys on the final two holes.

McGowan, the outright leader after both of the opening two rounds, signed for a two-under 69 while Laporta carded a three-under 68.

Jordan held fifth place on his own while Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson, Tom Lewis of England and South African Justin Walters were a shot further back on 15-under.

“It was a tricky day out there today,” said McGowan. “The first two rounds, especially when playing in the morning groups didn’t really have any wind. The wind had picked up to 20 miles per hour, so you were almost starting your line on the trouble to try get it close.

“So on most holes I was trying to just play to the middle of the green, and I struggled with the speed as well to be honest. Yesterday they were really quick in the morning but this afternoon they had slowed up a bit — struggled to get a few to the hole early on and then started hitting them too hard. Hopefully tomorrow my speed will be better.

“I’ve been playing nicely for a few weeks even though the results haven’t shown it. I know where the ball is going off the tee and my iron shots and wedges have been really good. The last two or three weeks have been good, I didn’t play much over the summer as my wife and I had a baby girl, so had some nice time off although I missed a few big events.

“But since coming back I’ve been improving every week and hopefully the form will continue until the end of the season.

“It’s a bunched leaderboard, four tied for the lead, anybody can win it really. Looks like the wind is going to pick up again tomorrow throughout the day so somebody who is on 11 or 12 under with a low round has a chance.”

You may also like:
Watch the LIV Golf action LIVE here
Mickelson promises results will improve
Watch highlights from Day 1 in Boston
Cam Smith delivers on LIV debut
Mickelson says LIV Golf deserves credit
Get your FREE September edition of Golf Digest Middle East here
Cam Smith paired with Dustin Johnson on LIV Golf bow
Bubba Watson hopes he is still welcome at Augusta
UAE get under way at Eisenhower Trophy in France
LIV Golfers back format ahead of fourth event outside Boston
LIV Golf’s masterstroke signing may well turn out to be Lahiri
Why did Cam Smith join LIV Golf? 
It’s official: Smith joins LIV Golf
Viya Golf takes over management of Yas Links, Yas Acres and Saadiyat Beach
Team Europe announce Ryder Cup qualification process
Saudi Open to debut on Asian Development Tour
Win a spot at the DP World Tour Championship Pro-Am
Aramco Team Series to be held at Donald Trump’s Ferry Point in New York

The post DP World Tour: Fight to the finish in Himmerland as four share lead appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Denmark’s Joachim B. Hansen is playing for his second European Tour title inside a year and to extend his season into the final week of the Race to Dubai.

Italy’s Francesco Laporta is already in the DP World Tour Championship but will tee it up in search of something even more precious, a maiden win.

France’s Antoine Rozner is likewise a lock for the season-ender next week and has a chance to pop over to Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates after successfully defending the penultimate event of the year on Fire.

The final day of the AVIV Dubai Championship isn’t short of intriguing storylines, not with 13 players within five strokes of the -19 lead shared by Hansen and Laporta who will be joined in Sunday’s final threesome by Rozner who is just a shot adrift.

With six birdies and a bogey apiece, Hansen and Laporta both carded 67s on Saturday to go from one shot adrift to one short in front of overnight leader Rozner atop the leaderboard.

Finland’s Kalle Samooja is two shots back on -17 after a round of 68, with Rolex Series winners Min Woo Lee and Tommy Fleetwood sharing fifth position on 16 under par after rounds of 66 and 68 respectively. Lee posted six birdies and eagled the 13th hole to move into contention, while Fleetwood recovered from a two over par front nine with six birdies after the turn. Ryder Cuppers Martin Kaymer (65) and Bernd Wiesberger (68) share seventh place with Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond (63) on -15.

Hansen made par on the final hole after first finding the buggy track with his approach shot and then pitching into the greenside bunker. He managed to get up and down from there to stay on -19 and Laporta joined him with a birdie on the last.   

“It was very good from tee to green, the best I’ve ever played from tee to green,” Hansen said who is 85th in the current Race to Dubai rankings so needs to win or finish second to make the top-50 for next week’s DWTC.

“I missed a lot of good chances at the beginning and a few on the back nine. All in all five under is a good score but it could have been a lot better. The lie was alright with that third shot (at the last), but I got a bit too steep on it, but the fourth shot up to the pin was a nice one.

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow, we’ll see how that’s going to go. Hopefully it will be another beautiful day and we’ll see what happens in the end. I just need to stay patient, I had a lot of chances out there today, so just stay patient and see what happens.”

Laporta is enjoying the tight fight.

“It’s obviously the third round, and we were all in contention so there was more pressure than the other two days, and it was more windy so it was the toughest day of the week,” the 31-year-old world No. 211 said.

“My game is pretty good actually. I didn’t hit the irons very solid like the other two days, so we’re going to work on that this afternoon on the range. But I’ll keep everything, my driver is in good shape and my putting is getting so I’ll try keep that going tomorrow.”

Rozner is happy to remain in the scrap after adding a 69 to his earlier rounds of 65-64.

“Today was tougher, definitely. I did not hit the ball as well as the other days. There were a few mistakes here and there and didn’t score on the easy holes. In the end it is not a disaster. It is three under and I am still in there in the mix and everything is up to tomorrow. I’m in there and that is what I wanted when I started this tournament and I have a chance.”

The post JB Hansen and Francesco Laporta lead as AVIV Dubai Championship set for tight Sunday finale appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Laporta was having a disappointing final round when a wild approach shot on the 13th hole struck Pietro Consenza in the side of his head. Fortunately, Consenza wasn’t seriously injured, but it created a pretty gruesome scene:

Images: Richard Heathcote

Somehow, Laporta was able to save par on the hole and birdie the next. Even more amazing? Consenza stuck around to watch his golfer play the rest of his round:

Richard Heathcote

Posting a two-under 70 in the final group normally wouldn’t seem too disappointing, but Laporta was the only player who finished in the top 13 to not shoot 68 or better. He finished in a tie for sixth place, three shots behind winner Billy Horschel.

The better news, of course, is that his coach finished the day on his feet.

The post This European Tour pro hit his swing coach in head with an errant shot while in contention on Sunday appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Lee Westwood is on course to tie Sir Nick Faldo’s record for the most European Tour top-10s by an Englishman, a seemingly inevitable reminder of a stellar career cruelly undermined by that major asterisk beside his name. On the evidence of his body of work this week, the former world No.1 clearly has grander plans to embellish his legacy on the final day of the 15th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA.

A seven-under, third round 65 will see Westwood take a one-stroke lead over Austrian Bernd Wiesberger and Italian Francesco Laporta into Sunday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, not to mention the experience of closing out 24 European Tour events over the past quarter-century.

Westwood didn’t make the biggest charge on moving day, that honour going to Sebastian Heisele after the Dubai-raised German soared 52 places up to a share of 9th with his early 64.

But it was the 46-year-old Englishman who made the most significant Saturday ascent, up six spots to the top of a cluttered leaderboard where 12 players are within five shots of Westwood’s -14 lead. Westwood’s obvious pedigree notwithstanding, the first Desert Swing event of the new decade looks set
to be decided by an absorbing multi-player shootout.

Six birdies and a sensational eagle at the 8th has given Westwood pole-position to celebrate his 25th season on tour with a 25th title and what would be his 44th worldwide victory. Regardless of how Sunday transpires, he looks set to match Faldo’s 179 top-10s, not that he’ll be playing for consolation milestones.

What kind of score do you think you’ll need to get it done in the final round?

“One better than everybody else,” came Westwood’s succinct retort. “I can’t tell the future. I’m just going to go out there and play as well as I can, and if it’s good enough, then great. I know I’m talented enough to win the tournament. It’s just a case of applying myself.

“It’s always a bonus to be in contention, and that’s basically why we come out here. I’m not going to lie, I didn’t play a lot of golf coming into it. Didn’t know what to expect. To be in the lead with one round to go, it’s a real positive.”

Westwood negotiated the National’s outward nine in a sublime 31 strokes, a five under run highlighted by his 266-yard hybrid to three feet to set up the eagle three on the 8th.

Cruising along on a 32-hole bogey-less streak, Saturday’s only bogey blemish came via a wayward tee shot on the 14th, followed by a toe hook into some bushes on the opposite side of the fairway.  It was a close-run thing though with Westwood catching the cup with his chip for par,  an encouraging sign that his sometimes troublesome short game in sync this week.

“I played well. I holed a couple of putts early on which gave me some momentum and then hit a brilliant shot into 8, the par 5, with a hybrid, 266 to about three feet. Then backed it up with a birdie at 9, so a bit of momentum, got on a roll,” he said.

“Had birdie chances on the back nine. A bit unlucky on 14, came out straight left [his second shot], snagged the hosel, but a solid finish. Birdied 16 which is not the easiest hole on the course and a nice birdie at the last.”

Former Emirates Golf Club champion Heisele will start the day among those five adrift. But with decorated names such as Matthew Fitzpatrick (pictured left, -12), Sergio Garcia (-11) and Rafa Cabrera Bello (-10) above him, much less Westwood, it will be some ask to turn the dream of a maiden European Tour title into glorious reality.

At least Heisele has a shot. A third-round 70 saw Brooks Koepka continue his tumble down the leaderboard to a share of 48th at -5. Given the nine-shot head start he gives Westwood, the best the world No.1 can probably hope for is to better his Abu Dhabi best of T-9 last year.

The post Lee Westwood has a shot to mark his 25th season on tour with a 25th European Tour title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Tully-Jackson
With a chequered European Tour history, few gave 36-hole leader Francesco Laporta much chance of hanging onto the big names on moving day at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The 29-year-old clearly didn’t read the script that had him going in reverse on Saturday in similar fashion to the last time he held a halfway lead, way back at the 2016 Trophée Hassan II. Then Laporta faded to a share of 22nd, still his best finish in the big league.

But maybe, just maybe, Laporta is ready this time. A steady three-under-par 69 on Saturday, to go with his sizzling 63 in the second round, hints so.

With a share of second place alongside Bernd Wiesberger and just a solitary shot behind tour veteran Lee Westwood’s -14 lead, the Italian journeyman certainly has a chance to prove the doubters of his ability to hang tough wrong again.

“I’m a different player, I was younger four years ago,” Laporta said of his Morocco slide.

“I was coming from a bad year and then I went to Tour School and it was fantastic to get my card, but I wasn’t ready. I feel more ready now and just try to enjoy my game.”

And enjoy it he should. With only one bogey scratched into his scorecard in the last 36 holes, something is going right. That something might just be Laporta’s putter which was hot again on the National’s billiard table greens Saturday.

One of his easiest putts of the day came on the 16th where, having left his tee shot 30+ yards behind his playing partners Matthew Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera Bello, Laporta launched a mid-iron to a blind pin in more ways than one.

“I hit the ball pretty straight but then I lost it in the sun. People clapping, I thought, okay, must be good, and when I got to the green it was very close.”

The tap-in birdie preceded his monster putt at 17, and with a solid closing par, Laporta feels the door is open for his maiden European Tour victory in his first Rolex Series event.

“Yeah, the long putt on 17 was amazing. I made so many putts yesterday, and my putting was pretty good also today. I made some good pars and hopes of another good Sunday on the greens.

“It would be just a dream. I just want to think about my score and my game. Trying not to see the leaderboard, it’s not going to be easy. There’s going to be leaderboards everywhere. I think it’s going to be a good day tomorrow.”

The post Italian journeyman Francesco Laporta hangs tough in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Francesco Laporta is no stranger to going scary low, nor winning. The trick now for the surprise halfway leader at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA is figuring out how to merge both things on the biggest stage.

The unheralded Italian rattled off nine birdies, including five on the trot to close out a sensational, bogey-free 63 on Friday. It allowed him to wriggle clear atop a bunched leaderboard of otherwise household names at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Laporta will start the third round at -10,  halfway towards a maiden European Tour title but only a stroke clear of decorated European Tour winners Matthew Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera Bello. With Sergio Garcia, Haotong Li and Renato Paratore at – 8, and Patrick Cantlay, former world No.1 Lee Westwood and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen among those three adrift, the 29-year-old won’t be getting ahead of himself.

Before he even has the chance to, the world No. 121 deserved to bask in the glory of the round of his life, a score few saw coming after he’d missed the cut in the Alfred Dunhill Championship and last week’s South African Open in his two previous starts since returning to the European Tour as Challenge Tour No.1.

“It was a great day,” Laporta said after inching to within a stroke of The National course record of 62, held jointly by Henrik Stenson (2006) and defending champion Shane Lowry (2019).

“My putting was solid, my driver, my irons. I gave myself a lot of opportunity for birdies, and when I had the opportunities, I took it. Every time I was putting for birdie, I made it.

“I didn’t start the season good. I missed the cut in South Africa two times, and this is the third event and I’m leading, so I just want to enjoy the weekend.”

As the reigning Challenge Tour No.1, it’s not as though Laporta hasn’t cracked the code to closing out tournaments. He won twice on the second tier tour last year, at the Hainan Open and the Challenge Tour Grand Final in Mallorca as recently as November to seal his promotion back to the big time.

But previous personal experience highlights how difficult it is to keep your card, much less win on the European Tour. Laporta’s best finish in the top flight was a T-22 at the Trophée Hassan II in 2016, his only full season on the European Tour where he eventually finished 189th in the Race to Dubai to tumble down to the Challenge Tour once more.

Perhaps coincidently, Laporta led after the second round of the Trophée Hassan II four years ago like he does here. He’ll also be hoping for a better finish than the last time he shot a 63, a then course record at the 2013 Zimbabwe Open, a Sunshine Tour event where he eventually finished tied second.

Friday’s 63 was two better than his previous European Tour best – at the King’s Cup in Thailand in 2016 – and the best score of the second round by a stroke after Swede Sebastian Soderberg soared 92 places up to a share of 18th after a 64.

If there was a score even more surprising than Laporta’s, it was Brooks Koepka’s 75. A wayward driver saw the world No.1 plummet 32 places down the leaderboard to a share of 35th at -3 – not out of it but with much work to do over the closing 36 holes.

At least Koepka is here for the weekend. Among those to miss the -1 cut were Bryson DeChambeau after a second-round 77 left the golf scientist puzzled at +5, and defending champion Shane Lowry who frustratingly missed out by a stroke.

The Irishman had a heated run-in with a greenside bunker on the 18th after catching a plugged lie and failing to advance his ball onto the green. The reigning Open champion took his frustration out on the trap with a couple more lusty blows. He immediately looked embarrassed by the crater he left and soon after crestfallen after his title defence ended prematurely as his par attempt from the apron cruelly lipped out.

Former Masters champion Danny Willett (+2), Ian Poulter (+3) and 2014 Falcon trophy winner Pablo Larrazabal (+4) also have unwanted weekends off.

The post Unheralded Italian Francesco Laporta fires 63 for halfway lead in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.