Seven-under par after 15 holes on the opening day, Gary King was a disappointed man to shoot a double-bogey six on the 18th hole of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and settle for a three-way tie at the top.
But the 25-year-old Englishman did not let his finish on Monday affect him in the second round on Tuesday, adding a brilliant four-under par 68 to take a three-shot lead into the final day of the Ascorp Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open.
Amateur James Allan fired the best round of the day, a bogey-free six-under par 66, and Jake Shepherd, winner of last week’s Dubai Creek Open, were both tied in second place at six-under par 138.
Scotland’s Daniel Kay (70), occupied the solo fourth slot a further shot adrift as overnight pacesetters Joshua White of England and Morocco’s Faycal Serghini both slipped down the leaderboard following over par rounds.
White, the 2014 MENA champion, moved into a tie for 11th after a 75 while Serghini settled for tied fifth place following a 73. The experienced Moroccan, however, leads the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award by one shot over compatriot Ahmed Marjane, who shot a brilliant 67 to move up the leaderboard.
The day belonged to King, who is playing his fourth event on the MENA Tour since making his debut at Rabat earlier this season. The Englishman found his touch after a slow start, playing the last eight holes at five under, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 11th.
“I am really pleased with my efforts. Every part of my game is falling into place which is great. I didn’t have the best of starts as I double-bogeyed the par-3 third after going into a greenside bunker, but played great thereafter,” said the Surrey-based King, a two-time winner on the Euro Pro Tour this season.
“The highlight of my round was certainly that eagle on the 11th when I hit my five-wood from 260 yards to within two feet of the cup and then picked up three shots in the last five holes.
“You never know what tomorrow holds, but I feel like I’m in a great position and looking forward to it. I have been in this position a couple of times this season and know what it takes to get the job done.”
Young Allan attributed his bogey-free round to a fine all-round display from tee to green.
He said: “I hit the ball really well off the tee and created many scoring opportunities. More importantly, I made them count, which wasn’t case in the first round.”
India’s Rayhan Thomas, who nearly won the Dubai Creek Open last week before losing in a three-way play-off, continued his good run of form, moving to second place in the amateur leaderboard behind Allan on three-under par.
After making the turn at level par, the 15-year-old made three birdies in a row from the 10th in his 69, firmly putting himself in contention for a title shot in his division.
