Kiwi Duo Contending at $16M Abu Dhabi Championship
New Zealand golfers Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori remain in contention as the Abu Dhabi Championship reaches its halfway point.
Daniel Hillier’s Progress
Hillier carded a four-under 68 in the second round, moving to 10-under overall and tying for 10th place. The 27-year-old struck seven birdies but gave back some shots with three bogeys, including two on holes 15 and 17. He is four shots behind the English leaders.
Leaders Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood
English golfers Aaron Rai and Tommy Fleetwood lead the tournament. Fleetwood, who co-led after round one, posted a six-under 66 in round two, with just a single bogey and 15 birdies across the first two rounds.
“Rai posted the joint best round of the day with an eight-under 64 to jump into a share of the lead.”
Rai’s impressive round included five birdies and an albatross, holing out from 196 meters on the par-five second hole.
Kazuma Kobori’s Challenge
Kazuma Kobori, 24, saw his score slip after a three-over 73 in round two, dropping into a tie for 24th place from an earlier shared lead. His round featured three birdies, one bogey, but was marred by a triple bogey on the par-five 18th.
Despite this, Kobori remains in a competitive position at seven-under and will aim to climb the leaderboard in the third round.
Summary
Daniel Hillier and Kazuma Kobori maintain strong positions at the Abu Dhabi Championship, with Hillier close to the leaders and Kobori looking to recover after a tough second round.