Former Ryder Cup star goes 36 holes without a dropped shot to lead by one at Amendoeira
Chris Wood extended his lead at the Rolear Algarve Classic with a second consecutive bogey-free round, carding a four-under-par 68 on Wednesday at Amendoeira Golf Resort’s O’Connor Course to move to 11-under-par and open up a one-shot advantage heading into Thursday’s final round.
The Englishman’s flawless 36-hole display – carding birdies on the second, ninth, 11th and 16th in his second round – has seen him yet to blemish his scorecard all tournament, a remarkable feat that puts him in pole position to claim his first MENA Golf Tour title.
“I didn’t drop a shot all day. It was a bit harder today though,” said Wood. “I said to Lloydy on the third green I wasn’t quite as sharp as I felt yesterday mentally. That’s the good thing about having him here – it’s easy to share those thoughts. Then you can talk about it and come up with a solution. So, we did a good job managing that today and really nice to go another round bogey-free.”
Chris Lloyd, Wood’s fellow Bristolian who had his own promising playing career curtailed by injury, is now on the bag for the three-time DP World Tour winner. The pair have known each other since their amateur days in Bristol, creating a partnership built on familiarity and trust.
“I’ve known Lloydy a long time. He’s been a really solid player himself, didn’t quite work out for him with an injury but he’s a huge asset,” Wood explained. “It’s great to have someone as encouraging as him but also someone you can call a friend as well. The way Lloydy can say things is very commanding, like he’s got your back. It’s a mental reminder.”
Wood acknowledged the tougher conditions on Wednesday, particularly late in his round. “Playing 16 and 17 today were challenging playing straight into the sun. I had a 20-yard pitch on 16 with the ball sat down in the fairway, it was a bit of a smelly one, so it’s tricky but it’s tricky for everyone. That’s where you’ve got to back yourself and let go.”
One Shot Back
Scotland’s Aidan O’Hagan sits one shot back at 10-under-par after posting a three-under 69 that featured four birdies – on the second, 12th, 16th and 17th – with his only blemish coming at the par-5 fifth.
“It was a bit of a slower start than yesterday. Took me a while to kind of start making a few putts and making a few birdies,” said O’Hagan, who shared the overnight lead and made yesterday’s headlines with a hole in one. “I gave myself a lot of chances, but it was nice to kind of finish stronger than I started and put myself in a good position for tomorrow.”
The 21-year-old Scot explained his calm approach heading into the final round. “I think that’s when I play my best golf – when I’m relaxed and just free to kind of hit the shots that I see. When I get too tense or anything like that, it’s where I start to struggle.”
A victory on Thursday would have significant implications for O’Hagan’s winter schedule. “It would be big to win here. It would guarantee going to Egypt and continuing to play golf for the winter, which is the main goal of coming out here. To get a win on a tour like this and the revamped system of it all would be an awesome start to that.”
Ireland’s Max Kennedy remains firmly in contention in third place at eight-under-par following a three-under 69. The Irishman has been impressively consistent, making just one bogey across his 36 holes – a three-putt on the 18th in round one.
“My goal over the last two days was to keep the bogeys off the card, so I did a good job of that today,” said Kennedy. “No bogeys, just didn’t make many putts on the back nine, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I’m hitting the ball really well, hitting greens.”
Kennedy praised the competitive environment the MENA Golf Tour is providing. “It’s great – any competition is great. There’s a pretty strong field here this week in terms of the players, ex-DP World Tour players. So, competing against them, you can’t beat that. The more you do that, the more you get used to that environment, the better you’re going to be, and the MENA Golf Tour provides that.”
Hot On Their Heels
First-round co-leader Aron Zemmer signed for an even-par 72 to slip into a share of fourth place alongside Portugal’s Pedro Lencart at seven-under. Scotland’s Sebastian Sandin posted a five-under 67 to move into a share of sixth at six-under-par.
Portugal’s Vasco Alves produced the round of the day, firing a bogey-free seven-under 65 to rocket up the leaderboard and join Sandin among a throng of six players at six-under.
“Yesterday I was actually minus-four after 11 holes, so I was feeling great and all of a sudden I had a bad stretch of holes between the 12th and the 15th – double, par, bogey, double – which put me plus-one,” Alves explained. “But I felt like I was playing well. Today I just let things happen, do the same as I was doing yesterday, and it was a very good one.”
Flying the flag for the UAE
The UAE’s Ahmad Skaik carded a second consecutive 74 to make the cut in just his second event as a professional, continuing his learning curve on the MENA Golf Tour following his transition from a decorated amateur career.
“I’m just staying in the present and keeping fighting,” said Skaik, reflecting on his experience. “My body hasn’t been feeling well. I didn’t do a lot of prep coming into this week. So just stayed patient, didn’t give up, tried my best out there.”
With Wood holding a slender one-shot advantage and ten players within five shots of the lead, Thursday’s final round promises a captivating conclusion to the second event of the MENA Golf Tour’s relaunched season. The winner will claim $18,000 from the $100,000 prize fund along with valuable Official World Golf Ranking points.
