Al Ain: Lee Corfield saw his lead reduced from three shots to one as nine players closed out their second rounds between nine and six under on day two of the Mena Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.
Corfield returned a 70, reaching nine-under overall, with fellow Englishmen Joshua White and Jake Shepherd and Mexico’s Juan Salcedo lurking a shot back.
Shepherd, the winner of this event in 2011, birdied three of the first six holes en route to a second 67, while White overcame two double bogeys to return a 68 and join Salcedo, who carded a 66, at eight-under.
Snapping at the heels of the frontrunners are Luke Joy, who currently leads the Order of Merit, on seven-under, one ahead of a four-man group led by Scotland’s Tom Buchanan, the head pro at Al Ain.
“It was a totally different course today with the wind blowing in the opposite direction, but I putted much better than I did on Sunday, which was the key,” said Buchanan, a sentiment echoed by many of his fellow competitors.
Corfield made a great start to his second round, playing the first six holes in four-under thanks in part to an eagle on the par-5 third, but four bogeys undermined his efforts, though he did pick up another shot at the par-4 14th.
England’s Zane Scotland, who started the week with a good chance of catching Joy on the Order of Merit, will have his work cut after a second round 72 left him eight shots behind Joy and 10 adrift of the leader.
England’s James Allan, however, took a firm hold of the Amateur Order of Merit, following his opening one-under 70 with a superb 66 to move to six-under, with Switzerland’s Michael Harradine occupying solo second two shots further back.
“The change in wind direction made life a bit easier on some holes, especially on the par fives. I holed some nice putts coming home, which was good,” said Allan, who picked up five shots on the back nine, including four in a row from the 12th.
Morocco’s Ahmad Marjane maintained his dominance in the Mena Professional Division, carding a second-round 68 to reach four under, six shots ahead of compatriots Amine Joudar and Faycal Serghini.
The experienced Serghini made a big move up the leaderboard with a 68, eight better than his opening round, as Ayoub Lguirati moved atop the leaderboard in the amateur division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award with rounds of 70 and 72.
