Scotland fights back into title hunt at Yas Links Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Zane Scotland displayed his remarkable ball-striking skills to haul himself back into contention with a seven-under 65 as he finished three shots off the pace going into the final round of the Ascorp Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links on Tuesday.
Starting the day a good six shots behind, the 34-year-old Englishman spiced his round with nine birdies, picking up four shots on the front nine and five on the home stretch, overcoming a double bogey on the ninth when his approach found the water.
The tournament low score thus far left Zane Scotland in solo third as his fellow Englishman Craig Hinton kept his nose in front, reaching 10-under after a second-round 68, two clear of Lee Corfield, also of England, who fired back-to-back 68s to remain within touching distance of the title.
The English duo of Liam Crawford and Joe Heraty shared fourth a further shot back on six under on a day when all players wore black ribbons as a mark respect for great Arnold Palmer, who left for the links in the sky on Sunday.
Scotland, a frequent visitor to leaderboards, sounded pleased to get his rhythm back. “Feeling good about my game for the first time in few weeks. I struck the ball really well and got into the zone on the back nine,” said Scotland, an 11-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour.
“The course is just stunning, but it is important to have a strategy for playing each hole as winds can make the course look totally different,” said the Englishman who hit 16 greens in regulation.
Hinton, who is chasing his second win this season, started strongly with three birdies in a row before making the turn at four under. He picked shots on the 15th and 16th but back-to-back bogeys prevented him from further consolidating his lead.
“Played some good golf again, though dropped shots on the closing two holes were a bit frustrating. Going forward, the idea is to stick to the same game place and see where that leaves me,” said Hinton, who won the Joburg Open earlier this season.
Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour, kept up the good work, playing himself back into contention for the second week in a row.
“It was pretty tricky out there because the wind was blowing in different directions. I was never in serious trouble and hit lots of fairways and greens,” said the 33-year-old Englishman from Somerset, who finished in a tie for eighth last week after starting the final round two in front.
“Going bogey-free was certainly the highlight of the day. In fact, I have dropped just one shot in 36 holes which shows things are moving in the right direction,” said Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Golf Tour.
Moroccans continued to dominate the MENA Division with Ahmed Marjan leading the professional category on level-par one clear of Younes Al Hassan and Jamal Allali opening up a one-shot lead over Saudi Arabia’s leading amateur Othman Almulla.
Meanwhile, Welsh ace Stephen Dodd, a two-time winner on the European Tour, shared 14th on two-under in a group which included experienced Andrew Marshall after a second round 70 while Danny Poulter, brother of Ryder Cup hero Ian, moved into a tie for 19th after returning a 71.
The cut was made at three-over par 147 with 45 professionals and 12 amateurs making it to the final round.