For the second competition in succession, Tommy Fleetwood will enter the weekend holding at least a portion of the lead after 36 holes. The British golfer followed up his remarkable 8-under 64 on Thursday with a 66 on Friday to keep his shared overnight lead with compatriot Aaron Rai at 14 under at the midpoint of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Championship.
Part of a group of five who jointly led after the first 18 holes, Fleetwood was the only one to sustain his position at the top of the leaderboard. His playing partner for the initial two days, Shane Lowry, remains within striking distance following a second-round 69, placing him at 11 under, while players such as Nicolai Højgaard (-12) and Alex Noren (-10) complete the top 10.
“Really good day,” Fleetwood commented. “I got off to, like, the perfect start — birdie, birdie, birdie. That was good, especially when you’ve had a good round the day before. They always say it’s hard to follow up a good round with another good one, or a low one with another one.
“Starting good was really important. I just did a really good job — I hit a lot of good shots, but a few times today where I drove it into the rough and we read the lies really well. I felt like we did a great job of controlling the ball out of the rough, and that was really pleasing. I feel like I putted solid again. 6 under was a very good score.”
Fleetwood is expected to climb to No. 5 in the Race to Dubai standings if he manages to secure the victory. This would represent his second consecutive triumph and his third in the last five global appearances, tracing back to his significant win on the PGA Tour at the Tour Championship.
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However, it won’t be easily attained. Rai also performed exceptionally on Friday at Yas Links. Launching strongly with an albatross on the par-5 2nd from 218 yards, the 30-year-old maintained his pace throughout his round and ultimately recorded a 64, matching the lowest round of the day.
“Any time you hit close to 18 greens, you’ve had a good day out there, let alone 18,” Rai stated. “The course is in incredible condition. If you hit a lot of fairways, it certainly gives you control. The green complexes are fantastic out here, as well, with being able to use the slopes, change your flights, change your shapes. It’s a pleasure being out here and nice to play well, as well.”
While the tournament leaderboard underwent some modifications on Friday, the season-long race remains in the same position as it started the week. Rory McIlroy followed up his initial 68 with another in Round 2 to narrowly enter the top 20 at 8 under, while his closest rival, Marco Penge, mirrored his second-round score to remain one ahead of him at 9 under.
“It’s been great,” Penge remarked. “Obviously it’s tough when you’re both trying to beat each other. So I didn’t want to get in the way too much or ask too many questions. But he definitely gave me a lot of time, and it was nice to walk the fairways with him and hopefully spend some more time with him in the future and learn a couple of tricks.”
