Abu Dhabi: Switching base to the UAE to be with his girlfriend Sofia Lundstedt is clearly paying rich dividends for Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello.
The World No. 28 birdied his final three holes to shoot a 6-under 66 and enjoyed a two-stroke lead midway through the second round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at the capital course on Friday.
“I haven’t got the Dubai resident visa yet but I will be getting it very soon. I moved into Oasis Beach Tower in JBR in January and I’m very happy with it,” said Cabrera Bello, who followed up his opening round of 67 to finish 11 under and had positioned himself well to end his winless streak of five years.
Cabrera Bello revealed that being in Dubai would also help his golf aspirations as there are some top class course and tournaments around the region.
“I like the region and the time that I’m going to spend here is when the weather is very good here. It is very pleasant at the moment,” said Cabrera Bello, who though he has not won tournaments has been consistent. Last season, six times he was in the top 10 — and he also found a place in the European team at the Ryder Cup.
“Out here practicing I can really focus on what I think is good for my golf and this is a great place to be. We play quite a bit of golf in this region. So I’m happy being here,” said Cabrera Bello, whose last win came at the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2012.
However, he feels he has been doing the right stuff and it is just a matter of time.
“You just have to think sometimes many great players, much better players than myself, have gone on longer non-winning streaks. A couple of times I felt that maybe I made a few mistakes; that I have learnt from them. Other times, I just felt that the other guys have out-played me,” said Cabrera Bello, whose only blemish of the second round came on the 13th.
“Sloppy swing. Pulled my tee shot and ended up in a bad spot. I had to take a drop and just missed a short one. All of the mistakes in the round were on that particular hole. Nothing really to over-analyse it,” said Cabrera Bello, adding that he was happy that he would have a good chance going into the weekend.
Cabrera Bello’s compatriot Pablo Larrazabal, the 2014 champion in Abu Dhabi, also shot an impressive 67 and was second at 9 under. He too was elated with his effort and felt that he was getting the same positive feeling that he had when he won here.
“Yes, the same kind of feelings. I’ve been working very hard over the winter, and we were looking forward to this week. We’re doing exactly the things we planned,” said Larrazabal adding that he was seven under for the par threes after two days, the same as in 2014 when he won.
“I’m comfortable where I am now, couple of places back and not too much attention. I prefer not to be leading the tournament going into the weekend. I will prefer to be leading the tournament after 72.”
