Trio Shares 1-Shot Lead After Doha Masters 2nd Round
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2019-03-08
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — South Africans Justin Harding and George Coetzee share a one-shot lead at the Qatar Masters with French golfer Mike Lorenzo-Vega after all three shot 4-under 68 for the second straight round on Friday.
The trio top a tight leaderboard at 8 under, with 12 players within two shots heading into the weekend at Doha Golf Club.
“I’m just happy to be playing some better golf,” said Coetzee, who has four top-10 finishes at the tournament but has never won.
“I guess I made a bit of a mind switch and started focusing a little bit more on what’s going on at the moment instead of where I want to be in a couple of years. I was in contention seven years ago and I still haven’t won this thing so I guess I don’t know the magic recipe but I’ll be looking for it over the weekend.”
Lorenzo-Vega, playing in the day’s opening group, made five birdies and a bogey to set the early pace.
Harding also followed with five birdies and a bogey, while Coetzee played a bogey-free round.
“Each day is its own puzzle,” Harding, who has three top-10s this season, said.
“You’ve got to go sort it out, you can’t go out there thinking you’re going to play well, that’s certainly not the case. I’ve obviously got a bit of confidence and that’s been built up through time and through some nice performances.”
First-round co-leader Adri Arnaus of Spain shot 70 to tie for second with England’s Oliver Wilson, South African Erik Van Rooyen, and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, who all shot 68s, too.
Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Scotland’s Richie Ramsey are in an eight-player group at 6 under after both finished with 70.
South African Justin Walters, who shared the first-round lead with Arnaus, was the only player among the top 35 to shoot over par on the day, a 73 to drop to 4 under.