Lorenzo-Vera Extends Lead at DP World Tour Championship

Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera extended his lead at the DP World Tour Championship and now has a three-shot lead at the halfway stage.

Lorenzo-Vera followed up his first round of 63 with a three-under-par 69 on Friday, as conditions got tougher at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, with the course playing to a tougher average score than in any previous round in the history of the DPWTC.

However, it could have been a lot better for the Frenchman, as he held a seven-shot lead after chipping in for a birdie at the par-3 13th. He then birdied the 14th as well to move to -14, but bogeys at the 15th and 18th saw him fall back to -12.

The Frenchman’s lead also diminished due to strong finishes from both Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm, who sit in a tie for 2nd, three shots back.

The Englishman carded a 68 which saw seven birdies and three bogeys, while Rahm started poorly, but two birdies and an eagle in his final five holes saw him finish with a three-under 69.

The pair are both in the hunt for the season-long Race to Dubai crown, and they are the only two men out of the five that can mathematically win it to sit in the top ten at halfway.

England’s Tom Lewis was -7, five shots back, while the trio of Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Thomas Pieters and Rory McIlroy are a further shot behind.

The four-time major winner struggled on Friday, carding a two-over-par 74, while Bezuidenhout posted the lowest round of the day, as his five-under 67 moved him into the top five from outside the top 20.

Justin Rose, Marcus Kinhult, Louis Oosthuizen, Adri Arnaus and Thomas Detry round out the top ten (and ties) placings, with eight shots covering the 12 golfers.

In a tie for 13th are the Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger, British Open champion Shane Lowry, reigning DP World Tour Champion Danny Willett and three-time European Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello.

As it stands, the Austrian will miss out on the Race to Dubai crown, with Fleetwood in a tie for 2nd. Currently, the projected standings have Fleetwood taking top spot come Sunday evening in Dubai.

Patrick Reed and Matthew Fitzpatrick sit just inside the top 20 at -2, while Lee Westwood and Erik van Rooyen are among the group in a tie for 20th.

Only half of the field are under par through the opening two days around the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with the two major Rookie of the Year candidates, in Robert MacIntyre and Kurt Kitayama, sitting at +1 and +2 after two days, respectively.

It was a bad day for the likes of Englishmen Paul Waring and Tyrrell Hatton on Friday in Dubai, with the pair carding 77 and 79 respectively, and dropping down outside the top 40 in the standings.

It will be Lorenzo-Vera and Fleetwood who go out in the final group on Saturday, with the Englishman looking to close down the gap to the Frenchman, while Rahm and Lewis will be looking to do the same in the penultimate group.

Leaderboard:

• 1 (-12): Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
• T2 (-9): Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Jon Rahm (ESP)
• 4 (-7): Tom Lewis (ENG)
• T5 (-6): Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Thomas Pieters (BEL), Rory McIlroy (NIR)

Selected Others:

• T10 (-4): Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Adri Arnaus (ESP)
• T13 (-3): Shane Lowry (IRL), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT), Danny Willett (ENG)
• T17 (-2): Patrick Reed (USA), Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)
• T20 (-1): Lee Westwood (ENG), Erik van Rooyen (RSA)

Projected Race to Dubai Top Five:

• 1 (+1): Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
• 2 (-1): Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
• 3 (=): Jon Rahm (ESP)
• 4 (=): Shane Lowry (IRL)
• 5 (=): Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG)