Tapio Pulkkanen, Liam Nolan and Matthis Besard share a one-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.
Finn Pulkkanen produced the most impressive second round display, with his six under par effort (64) helping him join Besard (67) and Nolan (65) on nine under par, one shot clear of Frenchman Maxence Giboudot and Swede Adam Blomme who share third.
After turning at two under par, the 36-year-old took advantage as the blustery conditions eased in Al Ain, with four back nine gains vaulting him into contention.
“It was a great round,” he said.
“I made a birdie on the tenth hole which is a tough par five today into the wind. The eagle on 18 helped me and then I played really nicely on the back nine and made lots of birdies as the wind died down.
“I holed a very long putt on eight which was a nice bonus towards the end of the round.”
Pulkkanen is a two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner with his most recent triumph coming at the Danish Golf Challenge earlier this year, a result which propelled him firmly into the promotion picture.
Sitting 13th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and on course for a DP World Tour return, the Finn knows a strong weekend in the UAE could be crucial for his promotion hopes.
“I’m kind of on the bubble right now being 13th in the Rankings so I want to have a nice finish,” he added.
“The goal is to be in the top 15 at the end of the year so it would be great to have a good weekend here.”
Nolan endured an up-and-down second round, mixing eight birdies with one double bogey and a further dropped shot, to eventually sign for a five under par 65.
The Irishman parred his first three holes before rattling off three birdies in four from the fourth. He found trouble around the turn, however, with a bogey on nine followed by a double on the challenging tenth.
But the Galway man’s response was excellent with five back nine birdies, including a closing gain, seeing him join the three-way tie at the top. Nolan, who is chasing his maiden HotelPlanner Tour win, was delighted with how he battled back during the closing stretch.
“My caddie said to me on 11 that I am swinging it well and to just reset. I knew I was playing well and rattled off five birdies coming in,” he said. “I wasn’t too worried about the bogey and the double, you get tough lies out here so that happens, but I was still very happy with my finish.
“Obviously it’s that time of the year where every shot matters a little bit more. I’m just going to continue to be patient like I’ve done all year and I’m happy to be back at the top of the leaderboard, I feel like I’ve been playing well.
“This weekend will be a good test of where my game is at before I head to China next week so really looking forward to it.”
Belgian Besard was the first man to reach nine under par after posting his second bogey-free round of the week. The 26-year-old made three birdies during Thursday’s second round and maintained a clean card thanks to an excellent sand save on the last.
Besard currently sits outside the provisional cut-off for back-to-back events in China and is looking to remain relaxed with his DP World Tour promotion hopes on the line.
“It was very nice and it wasn’t easy out there,” he said. "This morning it was quite windy so to stay bogey-free is really pleasing.
“Obviously you’re thinking about it [China cut-off] but it’s actually made things quite easy for me. I know what needs to happen this week and haven’t been too bothered by it.
“I’ve told myself that the guys who’ve played for a long time are able to handle these situations. I’m just telling myself to do my job and it’s gone well so far but I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
The third round of the Abu Dhabi Challenge gets under way at 6:30am local time on Friday with Pulkkanen, Nolan and Besard teeing off in the final group at 8:20am.
