It only rains an average of 6 days a year at the King Abdullah Economic City near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but tour professionals visiting the Kingdom for the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers had to deal with on-and-off showers on day two in their battle to advance up the leaderboard.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox shot up the leaderboard as the tournament continued in its second day, with occasional rain making conditions less ideal than the first low-scoring day for the crowded field of some of the world’s top golfers.
The rain had a measurable impact. It forced a delay in play as well as drove scores lower on day two. “What a difference a day makes: Thursday AM stroke average: 68.21 Friday AM stroke average: 71.55,” the European Tour’s official Twitter handle said today.
Viktor Hovland posted an excellent bogey free 66 on day two. Sitting 12th in the Official World Golf Ranking, Hovland has his eyes on a potential Ryder Cup debut in September and he played alongside Ryder Cup veterans Ian Poulter and Danny Willett in rounds one and two.
Stephen Gallacher, Andy Sullivan and Tommy Fleetwood were chasing Fox toward the top as the tournament continued, with big names Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose not far behind.
