By Kent Gray
James Allan has known success on the MENA Tour before but is 18 holes away from a belated 25th birthday present at Yas Links that would trump it all.

The English lefty started the second round of the Abu Dhabi Open by Arena a shot adrift of overnight leader Niclas Weiland but ended Tuesday two strokes in the lead after an equal best of the day 67 to go with his opening 66 on Monday, the day he celebrated his 25th.

Weiland slipped to tied third with an even-par 72 while English journeyman Matt Killen moved into solo second after matching Allan’s 67.

Allan has twice been crowned the MENA Tour’s now Journey to Jordan amateur Order of Merit champion – in 2014 and 2015 – but has not won a professional title on a recognised tour. He’s hoping to change all that on Wednesday.

“Tomorrow, I want to do the same things I did on the first two days,” the Chelmsford pro said.

“I am actually enjoying myself on this golf course. I just want to go out there and give my best and let’s see where that takes us.”

England’s @jamesallangolf takes us through the five-under par 67 that eventually earned him a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Open by Arena.

He also describes his eagle on the par-5 seventh hole and the tough closing stretch because of the headwind. pic.twitter.com/eLe2cl9VVh

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) October 8, 2019

Taking advantage of the far more benign conditions following the first round’s 40-50 kmph winds, Allan sent bogey-free on Tuesday in a round highlighted by a driver, seven-iron, one putt eagle on the par-5 7th.

“I started solid and that eagle on the 7th gave me a jumpstart. I had a few chances on the back nine but could not make any of them. The last four holes were playing really tough today, into the wind, so I was quite pleased with that effort,” said Allan who is 11-under-par heading into the final round.

A former Abu Dhabi resident who worked at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Killen, has returned to the MENA Tour after playing the regional Pro-Am circuit in 2016 and 2017. Like Allan, the 30-year-old Asian Development Tour player he is also chasing his first recognised tour win.

Matt Killen at Yas Links on Tuesday. Photo: Joy Chakravarty/MENA Tour

“A win would mean a lot to me. I have worked very hard on my game in the last couple of years. Hopefully, I can get it done tomorrow, but I don’t want to think about it just yet,” Killen said.

“Considering that I shot a 68 yesterday in those difficult conditions, a 67 today would not sound that good, but I will take two solid rounds like that any day. I just made one bogey yesterday and one today and managed to keep myself out of trouble for the most part, and when I did get into trouble, I scrambled well. “

On the amateur leaderboard, Dubai-based 15-year-old Josh Hill (72) continued to be on top despite finishing his second round with three successive bogeys. He was on three-under-par 141, with Jack Floydd (73) and Ben Davies (72) trailing him by two shots at 143.

The cut was applied at three-over-par 147 and 51 professionals made it to the final round. Among those with Wednesday off is Australian Daniel Gaunt, a fact that won’t have gone unnoticed by South African MG Keyser. Keyser,  tied  5th, five shots adrift of Allan, looks set to extend his lead atop the Journey to Jordan pro-OOM, especially as second-placed Gaunt won’t add to his points tally this week..

Amateur Robin ‘Tiger’ Williams, who won the Journey To Jordan-2 last week by eight shots, was at even-par 144 after a round of 71.  

The post Former amateur prodigy Allan eyes maiden MENA Tour victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
After missing last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational because of a neck strain, it appears Tiger Woods will be able to give it a go at this week’s Players Championship. On Monday, Woods spent nearly three hours on the back of the range at TPC Sawgrass going through his entire bag.

Also noteworthy from the session was that Woods worked on his putting with coach Matt Killen.

Woods has not had a coach of any kind since parting ways with Chris Como at the end of 2017, but it appears that might no longer be the case. While it was the first time that Killen has been with the Woods at a tournament, it was not the first time the two worked together as the 32-year-old Kentucky native had been to see Woods in South Florida recently.

“His stroke looked good,” Killen told Golf Digest as he departed the range. “His putting is better. I like what I see.”

Though Woods has not finished outside the top 20 in three starts this year, the area of his game that he has struggled with the most is putting.

In his last start two weeks ago, at the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship, he had a half-dozen three-putts for the week. At the Genesis Open the week before that, he called his week at Riviera one of the worst he’s had with the flat stick — an accurate summation given that his opening round included four three-putts and his final round featured an abysmal total of just over 50 feet of putts made

Had Woods played enough rounds this season to qualify, he would rank 80th on tour in strokes gained/putting.

As for Killen, it’s of little surprise that Woods would turn to him. Justin Thomas, who often plays with Woods when the two are at home, has worked with Killen on his putting since long before he turned pro. It has also often been Woods’ M.O. to work with coaches who operate in the same circle of those around him.

Killen, of course, has a proven track record as well. His other clients on the PGA Tour include J.B. Holmes, who won at Riviera earlier this year, Bud Cauley and Blayne Barber. He has also long been lauded as one of the best young teachers in the game.

Woods, who won the Players in 2001 and 2013, is scheduled to play this week with defending champion Webb Simpson and reigning Masters champion Patrick Reed in the first two rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

The post Tiger Woods arrives at TPC Sawgrass with putting coach Matt Killen in tow appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

You need a different plan for when your ball is so close to the bunker’s face it might get swatted back into the sand like a blocked shot by Shaquille O’Neal. First, assess the situation. If you can’t get the ball up quickly enough to clear the face and hit it toward the flagstick, play your bunker shot in another direction. What direction? Well, if the lip is lower guarding another part of the green, that’s your exit strategy. If the steep face is between your ball and the entire green, then I’m sorry but you’ll have to find a spot off the green that makes your next shot as easy as possible. That usually means hitting to an area where you’ll have an uphill pitch to the hole. This is one of those times where you have to put your hubris in check and accept that the smart play is to simply get out.

That being said, there are times when you can get out and get the ball moving toward the hole. When you think you can pull off a shot from this nasty lie, I want you to remember this one thing: long and slow. That means you’re going to make a long backswing and through-swing, and feel like your clubhead speed isn’t as quick as in a typical bunker play. A long-and-slow swing will help produce a higher, softer shot that gets the ball over the lip and lets it release toward the hole.

As far as swing mechanics, it helps to keep the left wrist (for right-handers) in a cupped position to add loft to the shot. Cupped means the back of your hand is closer to the top of your forearm than your palm. Also, when you swing, let the clubhead release so it gets ahead of your hands as it moves through the sand. What you don’t want is to dig deep into the sand with the handle of your club leaning toward the target at impact.

Last tip? Don’t try to climb out. Take the elevator. — With Ron Kaspriske

Matt Killen, one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers, is the short-game coach for Justin Thomas.

The post Your new plan for escaping high-lipped bunkers appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.