Shaun Norris made an eagle and three birdies on Saturday on his way to a five-under-par 67 in the delayed second round of the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club.
The tournament will finish on Monday after the first two days were affected by heavy rains which flooded the course. The 36-hole leaders on 10-under-par were Richard Bland of England, Belgian Thomas Pieters and American amateur Michael Thorbjornsen. They led by one from Spain’s Adri Arnaus, Swede Marcus Kinhult and Connor Syme of Scotland.
Norris, who moved to six-under for the tournament and a share of 22nd, picked up two early birdies on the first and the third. Things went quiet for him until the 424-yard par-four 12th, when he holed his 163-yard approach for eagle. He followed it with a birdie on 13 to round out his scoring.
He was one stroke behind the leading South African, Louis de Jager, who had five birdies and four bogeys in his one-under-par 71. At seven-under at the halfway mark, he was in a share of 15th with six other players.
In a share of 22nd on six-under with Norris was Justin Harding, who, after seven birdies and a bogey in his first 12 holes after starting on the 10th, made a double-bogey five on his 13th hole of the day, the fourth. He hit his tee shot into the water right of the green, and then had to get up and down as he hit his approach from the drop zone over the green.
Also on six-under, after a second consecutive three-under-par 69, was Jacques Kruyswijk. Oliver Bekker was on five-under after his second round of one-under 71, Hennie du Plessis had a 73 to be on three-under, and Justin Walters made the cut on the number at two-under with a two-under 70.
Ockie Strydom, Thriston Lawrence, JC Ritchie, Zander Lombard and George Coetzee all missed the cut.
And, while Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy both finished on eight-under, they weren’t drawn together for the third round. For those who are disappointed, that could still happen in the final round.