Lawrie Enjoys Grace in Doha

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Peter Lawrie is the leading Irish man at the Qatar Masters after a second-round score of 68. Lawrie now sits joint-fourth on the leaderboard just three shots of current leadersGeorge Coetzee, Bernd Wiesberger and Branden Grace.

Lawrie, playing in Doha on a sponsor’s invitation after just missing out on his card at qualifying school, opened with a confident opening round of 70 on Wednesday and replicated yesterday’s birdies on the first and 18th holes on Thursday, while he also struck on the fourth, seventh, ninth and tenth.

Bogeys on the fifth and 15th the only blotches on his card for the day. Michael Hoey is next best of the Irish on three under while Damien McGrane shot a level par round of 72 and is currently five shots off the lead.

Coetzee, Wiesberger and Grace may share the lead at the halfway stage but Marc Warren was the biggest mover. Coetzee improved on his opening-day 68 by a single stroke after mixing six birdies with a bogey in Doha while Wiesberger joined him on nine-under with a round of 66.

The Austrian - seeking his first European Tour win since 2012 - holed back-to-back birdies across four holes on the back nine to finish strongly and Grace’s measured four-under 68 steered him into a three-way tie for first place by Thursday evening. All one stroke behind the leading trio are Emiliano Grillo, An Byeong-hun and Scotland’s Warren, whose emphatic 65 lifted him from the mid-50s and right into trophy contention.

The highlight of the 33-year-old’s round was an eagle on the par-five first hole with only bogeys on three and 17 sullying the effect of seven more birdies around the Doha Golf Club course. Overnight leader Oliver Fisher of England slipped to 10th after following up his Wednesday score of 65 with a one-over-par 73 that included three bogeys and two birdies.

Also in the mix were Darren Fichardt, Richard Green and Alejandro Canizares but defending champion Sergio Garcia was struggling to break through after signing for a second consecutive 69. Justin Rose could only follow his opening-day score of 68 with a 73 after carding four bogeys across five holes on the back nine.

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McIlroy Commits to Desert Classic

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Rory McIlroy has confirmed that he has committed to play in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the end of the month.

The world No 1 will make his first start of 2015 at this week's Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, but there were doubts over whether he would feature in the last of the three Desert Swing events due to his impending court case involving his former management company.

But McIlroy has announced he will make his ninth appearance at The Emirates, where he held off Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson to capture his first title as a professional in 2009.

The four-time major winner will headline another star-studded field which includes his Ryder Cup team-mates Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood and Stephen Gallacher, who became the first player to successfully defend the title last season.

“I’ve got great memories of Dubai and it will be fun to get back to a golf course where I have enjoyed success over the years,” the 25-year-old told the European Tour.

“It was nice to get my first professional win in Dubai. I had my parents there with me and it was a special moment that I will never forget. That win was a real stepping stone for the success that followed and my relationship with Dubai went from strength-to-strength.

“To think the tournament is older than I am is testimony to its strength. They have an outstanding field all the time, and the golf course is really in great shape. Obviously, I will be looking to win the event again."

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, added: "We are delighted to welcome back a stand-out player in a field which exudes the energy of a major with all those big names battling for glory in Dubai.

“We have seen him first compete as an amateur in 2006 and now we will see him tee up as the world number one for the first time. His incredible journey has left indelible footprints in the tournament’s history.

“As his name has become synonymous with the golfing landscape of Dubai, I am confident his presence will radiate distinct energy to the tournament, one that will rub off on fans. I wish him the very best and hope that the future brings him more success.”

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Rory Stals as Kaymer Collapses

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 Rory McIlroy finished second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship on Sunday ending just one stroke off the winner after carding a round of 66.

It was Gary Stal who took advantage of an astonishing meltdown from Martin Kaymer to claim his maiden professional victory after an enthralling final round at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

There was no indication of the incredible drama to come when Kaymer, who led by six shots overnight, birdied three of the first four holes to extend his advantage to 10 strokes over the field.

But the expected procession to victory for the German unravelled in spectacular fashion as he double-bogeyed the ninth and ran up a triple-bogey seven at the 13th to gift the lead to the unheralded Frenchman.

Stal had piled the pressure on the German with a sparkling run of six birdies in eight holes, and he held his nerve down the stretch to close out a flawless seven-under 65 - the joint-low round of the day - and earn a thrilling one-stroke victory over Rory McIlroy.

The world No 1 finally found some form on the greens as he carded a seven-birdie 66 to finish on eight under, but he came up a shot behind the winner for the third time after his splash-out for eagle at the last shaved the edge of the cup.

His resulting birdie meant Stal needed only a par at the last to clinch the title, and the 22-year-old calmly played the par-five as a three-shot hole and two-putted from the fringe to collect the lucrative first prize of 380,000 euros.

Kaymer looked understandably downcast as he limped in with a three-over 75 to finish third, two behind the champion, while Victor Dubuisson and Thomas Pieters were one stroke further adrift.

After the three-time champion had got off to a flying start, Stal appeared to be winning the race for second when he picked up shots at the fourth and sixth before reeling off four consecutive birdies around the turn.

Kaymer’s bogey at the sixth – his first dropped shot since the 12th hole in the first round - looked to be only a temporary blip, but the German was forced to take a penalty drop at the ninth after driving into the scrub and he was unable to stave off a double-bogey six.

Worse was to follow for the reigning US Open champion at the 13th, where another errant drive and three putts added up to a seven which saw him relinquish his lead to Stal, who then went two clear when he drained a 25-foot putt for birdie at the 16th.

Meanwhile, McIlroy had ignited a belated challenge with three consecutive birdies from the eighth, and he suddenly found himself within a shot of the lead when he also converted fine approaches to the 13th and 15th holes.

But further birdie attempts at 16 and 17 had slightly too much pace to take the break, and he was unable to find the eagle he required at the last to have a chance to force a play-off after he blocked his aggressive second shot.

Stal was a model of assurance as he made a cast-iron par at the difficult 17th and avoided trouble coming down the last, where he lagged to within a foot from 20 feet to leave himself the simplest of tap-ins to cap the most memorable day of his career.

Kaymer closed with five pars to claim outright third ahead of Dubuisson, who kept a bogey off his card to hand in a commendable 67, while young Belgian Thomas Pieters (70) was out of touch with his putter down the stretch as he parred the last eight holes to join Dubuisson on 16 under.

English pair James Morrison and Tyrrell Hatton both carded five-under 67s to earn a tie for sixth along with Bernd Wiesberger, while Jamie Donaldson failed to build on three straight birdies from the seventh as he parred every hole on the inward half to remain 13 under.

Stal's 65 matched the earlier efforts of former US Open champions Justin Rose and Ernie Els, who both vaulted to 12 under with flawless seven-birdie rounds.

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McIlroy's Day Moves Wrong Way

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Rory McIlroy admitted he felt like "punching himself" after a dreadful performance on the greens left him eight shots off the lead after the third round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

The world No 1 was just two behind leader Martin Kaymer at the halfway stage but, as the German crafted a sublime bogey-free 65, McIlroy laboured to a 71 despite excelling from tee to green.

McIlroy missed only two fairways and hit 17 greens in regulation, but he struggled to contain his frustration as a succession of birdie chances failed to find the target.

The Northern Irishman, twice a runner-up in Abu Dhabi, did manage to convert excellent approaches at the sixth and 12th holes, but hopes of a grandstand finish effectively ended with a bogey at 13.

After another chance grazed the lip on the final green, McIlroy’s tap-in for par was his 34th shot with the putter as he closed on 12 under par.

A clearly-deflated McIlroy told Sky Sports 4: "I feel like punching myself. I'm very disappointed, I just didn't putt well – yesterday or today.

"I'm going to have to do something a bit better on the greens to shoot a good number and finish the tournament off well"

"I hit the ball just as well as I did yesterday and gave myself so many chances but I didn't convert any. I was very wasteful today. It looks like I'm playing for second place tomorrow.

"From tee to green I've never felt more comfortable. I'm driving the ball great. It's just a matter of capitalising on the chances you give yourself and I didn't do that today.

"I tried to stay as patient as possible but it was very frustrating. I started the ball on line for the most part but struggled with the speed as well, so it's a combination of that.

"You're always trying to improve and get better and I'm going to have to do something a bit better on the greens to shoot a good number and finish the tournament off well.

"I am now trying to win the other tournament. Martin's playing in something a little different than everyone else. I think I'm two behind Thomas Pieters and I will try and catch him. It's obviously very unrealistic that I'm going to catch Martin."

In contrast, McIlroy’s Ryder Cup team-mate Victor Dubuisson reflected on a fine day’s work after the Frenchman vaulted up the leaderboard with an eight-under 64 – the low round of the day.

Dubuisson had been hampered by a back injury in the latter part of 2014, but he appeared to be swinging freely in Abu Dhabi as he rolled in eight birdie putts and kept a bogey off his card to move to 11 under.

But while he was delighted with his performance, Dubuisson still trails runaway leader Kaymer by nine shots and he knows he needs something special over the final 18 holes.

"It was a good day, I played really well. I holed some good putts compared with the other days. I'm very happy about the score," Dubuisson said. "But I think I'll need to shoot 10 under tomorrow to have a chance."

The world No 19 rose to worldwide prominence with his run to the final of last year’s WGC-Accenture World Match Play, and he also played a starring role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Gleneagles in September.

But Dubuisson is keeping his expectations realistic for the coming year, insisting he has not followed McIlroy’s lead in compiling a list of targets for the season.

"I just want to do better for myself, I don't feel any more pressure," the 24-year-old added. "Golf is a sport where you can have two or three bad years and then come back. It's very difficult to keep the same level every year so I'm just trying to do my best on every round, every event.

"It's difficult to write, 'this year my target is to win two majors' because I haven't even won one. I haven't won a PGA Tour event, so first I try to keep consistent in my game, maybe win one or two events."

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Kaymer Has Rory in Rear View

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Martin Kaymer will take a one-shot lead into the weekend of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as Rory McIlroy remained in touch with the German after a spectacular hole-in-one on the second day.

Kaymer kept a bogey off his card as he added a classy 67 to his opening 64 to set the early clubhouse target at 13 under, and that proved enough to earn him the halfway lead after Thomas Pieters bogeyed his final hole.

But it was McIlroy who provided the highlight of the second round when he celebrated his first ace in professional competition – a perfectly struck nine-iron finding the bottom of the cup at the 177-yard 15th that lifted him to within three of the lead.

The world No 1 struggled on the greens for much of the day, but he rolled in a clutch par putt from 12 feet at the 17th and holed from similar range at the last for a closing birdie – his fifth of the round – to cap a six-under 66.

McIlroy had started his day with a pair of birdies just as Kaymer was putting the finishing touches to his second round, and the US Open champion headed off to lunch having extended his overnight lead to five shots.

Highlights and reaction from the second day of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Kaymer, who has won three of the previous nine events in Abu Dhabi, started at the 10th and soon got into his stride with birdies at 12 and 13 before another at the 18th completed a back-nine 33.

He started the front nine with an unlikely birdie as he holed his escape from a greenside bunker, but a cold putter then halted his momentum until he got one to drop at the eighth before closing with a cast-iron par.

But Kaymer insisted afterwards that he was happy with his performance despite letting a few opportunities slip on the greens, and he was particularly pleased with his game from tee to green.

"I guess the greens, I can read them very well and my stroke always feels well when I come here," Kaymer told Sky Sports 4. "Again, today, I didn't miss many fairways, which gives you the opportunity to go for a lot of flags.

"To be honest I really believe the golf course plays two or three shots tougher in the morning than in the afternoon, because once you miss the fairway, you're in that thick, wet grass and then it's almost impossible to get home in two on the par fours.

"So therefore, I was very happy to shoot five under today."

McIlroy was denied a place in Saturday’s final pairing by Pieters, who carded an excellent 67 despite not making a birdie at any of the four par-fives.

The young Belgian matched Kaymer’s back-nine 33 and three birdies over the next six holes pulled him level with the leader until his blotted his card at the ninth to close on 12 under.

England’s James Morrison earned himself a place alongside McIlroy in the third round after he birdied the final two holes to complete a six-birdie 67 that elevated him to nine under par.

Morrison shares fourth place with Peter Uihlein, who kept a bogey off his card in a solid 68, while Frenchman Alexander Levy (70) and Australian veteran Richard Green (68) are a short further adrift.

Further down the field, star American attraction Rickie Fowler scraped into the weekend with nothing to spare on two under after labouring to a 75 which was blighted by an ugly triple-bogey eight at the long eighth.

Justin Rose also made the cut on the number after managing four birdies in a workmanlike 69, but his Ryder Cup team-mate Henrik Stenson was unable to avoid a weekend off.

The world No 2 made a gallant attempt to bounce back from Thursday’s torrid 76, but his five-birdie 68 merely lifted him back to level par for the tournament, while defending champion Pablo Larrazabal’s 72 was one too many to make the weekend.

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