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Rory McIlroy's hole-in-one draws him closer to Martin Kaymer in UAE tournament

 
Published Jan. 17, 2015

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Rory McIlroy's putter briefly went cold at the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday, so he decided to take another route to the hole.

The world No. 1 made his first competitive hole-in-one as a professional as part of a brilliant back nine in his second round, acing the par-3 15th from 177 yards to propel his pursuit of leader Martin Kaymer.

McIlroy threw his hands in the air and high-fived playing partner Rickie Fowler after his 9-iron landed a yard from the hole, hopped right and trickled into the cup.

"It never left the pin," McIlroy said after ticking off one of the few things he had yet to achieve in his pro golf career.

His round of 6-under 66 — completed with a 15-foot birdie at No. 18 — moved McIlroy into third place at 11-under 133, two shots behind Kaymer, to set up a potential duel over the weekend between two players who won three of last year's majors.

McIlroy will do well to dislodge Kaymer, though.

The U.S. Open champion followed up his first-round 64 with 67 to give himself a great chance of a fourth title at the National Course — where he won in 2008, '10 and '11.

Kaymer, who went into the round with a one-stroke lead, is a strong front-runner — as shown by his wire-to-wire victories in last year's U.S. Open and in Abu Dhabi in 2008. He is even threatening his own record low total in this tournament, 24-under 264 in 2011.

"It's one of the only tournaments where you stand on the first tee and you pretty much know you have birdied every single hole," said Kaymer, whose second-round highlight came on his 10th hole, a chip-in for birdie from a greenside bunker.

Separating Kaymer and McIlroy on the leaderboard is Thomas Pieters, a 22-year-old Belgian starting to fulfil his potential after an impressive college career in which he was NCAA champion in 2012. Pieters, seeking a first European Tour win, shot 67 for 12 under.

Among the players to miss the cut — at 2 under — in the first tournament in the annual Desert Swing were defending champion Pablo Larrazabal, No. 2 Henrik Stenson and Matteo Manassero. Fowler shot 75 to drop to 2 under and just make the weekend.

PGA: Tour rookie Justin Thomas made an 18-foot eagle putt on his last hole for 9-under 61 to join Webb Simpson and Matt Kuchar for a share of the lead at the Sony Open in Honolulu. Thomas played his last three holes in 4-under par. Kuchar shot 63 at Waialae and Simpson, so determined to use a conventional putter that he broke the belly putter over his knee last fall, had 66. They were at 12-under 128. Thomas is playing the event for the first time.