Koepka stumbles and opens door for Laporta, Lowry misses cut

As Brooks Koepka stumbled, Francesco Laporta stepped up, firing five birdies on his last five holes on Friday to grab the lead at the $7 million Abu Dhabi Championship.

World number one Koepka started with two birdies and then collapsed, finishing with a three-over par 75 round that included two double bogeys and ended with a bogey on the par-5 18th hole.

“I was good on the first two but other than that, it was a bit of a disaster,” said Koepka, who ended the round tied 35th at 141. “I am going to go to the range and just figure it out.”

The 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia shot 69 to move into a tie for fourth, two strokes behind Laporta.

Laporta, a 29-year-old Italian, back on the European Tour after winning the 2019 Challenge Tour Order of Merit, showed he had the game to contend on the biggest stage.

He qualified for the European Tour in 2016 but lost his card. He returned after winning two Challenge Tour events late in 2019, including the season-ending Grand Final.

Back on the main tour, he missed the cut in his first two starts, but on Friday a tournament-low round of nine-under par 63 gave him a one-shot lead on top of a congested leaderboard in the first Rolex Series event of 2020.

“On the Challenge Tour, I got more opportunity to play and become better,” he said after his round. “This is my third event and I am leading. So, I just want to enjoy the weekend.”

Laporta, ranked 124th in the world, had a 10-under par two-round total of 134. Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick (67) and Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello (68) were tied for second one behind.

China’s Li Haotong and Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, both shot 69s to catch joint overnight leader Renato Paratore (72) of Italy at eight-under.

Defending champion Shane Lowry’s campaign came to an end early when a bogey from a plugged lie in the greenside bunker on the last took him to even-par 144, one shot outside the cutline.

Laporta, who holed his second shot on the difficult par-4 fifth hole on Thursday for a rare eagle two, almost repeated the feat on the par-4 16th. That near miss came moments after he almost aced the par-3 15th.

“It was a great day. I played solid all 18 holes. My putting was solid as well as my driver and irons. I gave myself a lot of opportunity for birdies and made them when I had the chance. Every time I had a putt for birdie, I made it,” the Italian added.

Despite tough playing conditions at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club because of the rough and tight fairways, Fitzpatrick has yet to card a bogey.

“For the first week of the year, to have no bogeys, I couldn’t ask for a better start really,” he said. “Just played really disciplined golf and it’s worked out well so far.”

Fan favourite Lee Westwood continued his fine form to card a bogey-free 68 (-4) that puts himself in a strong position to make a bid to win an astonishing 25th European Tour event this weekend, a record that will leave him just five titles behind fellow Englishman Nick Faldo.

Teen sensation, 15-year old Josh Hill, who generated one of the stories of the week by beating World Number One Brooks Koepka in practice, produced another strong round to finish his tournament on a credible six-over par while Emirati local, Ahmed Skaik continued his development – his highlight coming on the par four 6th where he made a picturesque birdie.

 Reviewing his tournament Hill added: “It’s been a fun week and a brilliant experience. I’ve enjoyed being on the big stage but a little disappointed in my performance, but I’ve learned a lot. I love playing in Abu Dhabi where the course is perfect, the weather is amazing and the people are incredibly welcoming. I look forward to hopefully coming back many times into the future.”

Discussing his 2020 tournament, Ahmed added: “This has been a hugely enjoyable experience for me. It is very special to play in front of a home crowd and have the support of friends and family. I will remember this week for a long time.”