The Loop
Sergio Garcia shares the lead in Dubai thanks to one of the best pars of the year
Long known as one of the best drivers of the golf ball, Sergio Garcia needed to summon all his other skills to overcome a wild tee shot on Friday.
In the second round of the DP World Golf Championship, Garcia pulled a drive way left on the par-4 12th hole and into seemingly certain trouble. After finding his golf ball in a bush, though, Garcia took an unplayable and hooked an iron off a mulch lie onto the corner of the green. He then drained a 30-footer for par to maintain the lead. Check it out:
As the announcer in the clip says, "That's a bonus for Sergio Garcia. He keeps a bogey off his card and I have to say, pretty unexpectedly."
Not as unexpectedly is the fact that the 15th-ranked player in the world is on top of the leader board at the European Tour's season finale. After two rounds in Dubai, Garcia shares the lead with Francesco Molinari at nine under. First-round leader Lee Westwood is one shot back.
Entering this final week on the schedule, four players had a chance at claiming the season-long Race To Dubai title: Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Alex Noren and Rory McIlroy. Through two rounds, Noren (T-14) is the only player of the four inside the top 15.
McIlroy, the defending champ, followed up an opening 75 with 68, but is still just T-29. If the leader board holds, Stenson would win the year-long points race for the second time (2013) in his career.