Playing in the first group of the day, in-form Austrian Florian Praegant took advantage of slightly more receptive conditions and returned a neat three-under 69 to reach seven-under par for the tournament, setting himself up nicely for his maiden title on the tour.
England’s Andrew Marshall backed up his opening-round 70 with a 69 to occupy solo second on five-under, and the leading duo had opened up a massive five-shot advantage over a three-man group that included Morocco’s Faycal Serghini, who fired a tidy 69.
It was the 32-year-old Praegant who put himself in the box seat with another fine performance. He made just one bogey – at the par-3 16th – which was his only dropped shot in 36 holes.
“I am very happy with a 69. I hit some very good shots out there,” said Praegant, who finished second in last year’s Dubai Creek Open.
“My short game really kept me going as I made some good up-and-down pars and also holed some long putts, which was good.
“The conditions were a bit different. It wasn’t that windy except for a couple of holes coming down the stretch and it helped. Finishing strongly with two birdies in a row was the certainly the highpoint of my round.
“You never know what tomorrow holds. I will try to stay focused on every shot and see what happens.”
Serghini’s round represented a huge improvement from his three-over par effort in the opening round. At level-par, he leads the MENA Division for professionals by three shots from his compatriot Younes El Hassani, who carded a 70 after dropping an early shot at the par-4, third.
“Played very steady from tee to green. On the whole, it was a pretty good round in windy conditions,” said Serghini. “I had a plenty of scoring opportunities out there, but tough luck on the greens.
“On this course, accuracy off the tee holds the key. Also, you need to putt well as the greens are firm.”
Jamal Allali, also of Morocco, led the amateur division after back-to-back 75s, two shots ahead of Yassine Touhami.
Elsewhere, Zane Scotland, who won the season-opener last week, carded a level-par 72 to move to four-over par, while James Allan, playing his second event since turning professional, added a 76.
