Hot putter helps Euan Walker sit one off lead in Abu Dhabi Challenge

Scot chasing his second win on Challenge Tour after eight-birdie second-day salvo in desert

Euan Walker has the leaders in his sights at the halfway stage in the Abu Dhabi Challenge after putting his way into contention at Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.

The 28-year-old followed an opening 65 with a 63 in the first leg of a Challenge Tour double-header in the UAE to sit on 12-under-par, one shot behind South African Wilco Nienaber and Dane Nicolai Kristensen.

Big-hitter Nienaber stormed to the top of the leaderboard on the back of a brilliant bogey-free 60 while Kristensen stormed home in 30, but Walker was also delighted with his day’s work and rightly so.

Euan Walker lines up a putt in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates. Picture: Octavio Passos/Getty Images.

“Today was really great,” said the Scot. “I probably didn’t hit the ball quite as well as I did yesterday, but I putted really exceptionally today and also recovered very well when I hit it in poor positions. I then took chances when I hit good shots, so it was really good.

“Putting was definitely my biggest strength today. I either saved a lot of shots or gained a lot of shots because I holed a lot of mid-range putts for birdie and the odd one for par as well.”

Ayrshireman Walker is chasing a second title triumph on the second-tier circuit after landing his maiden win on the second-tier circuit in the 2022 British Challenge at St Mellion in Cornwall.

“My aim for the weekend will be just to try and hit the ball a bit better off the tee,” he said. “Listen, it was all right today, but it would be nice if it could be a bit better. Otherwise, if I can do the same with the rest of my game, it will be absolutely brilliant.”

A former African Amateur champion, Walker has come up agonisingly short in his bid to finish in the top 20 in the Road to Mallorca Rankings in the last two years and is determined to book his DP World Tour ticket this time around.

“Yeah, I’m quite pleased,” he said of starting the new campaign with three top-25 finishes in five starts. “I’ve often started the season a little bit slow. I think sometimes I’ve struggled to play well in South Africa and India, so I tried to go out and get a bit of practice in Abu Dhabi before the season started and I was able to start the season nicely. I hope that I can hit my best form when we get back to Europe, but it’s been nice to start the way I have.

“Yeah, I think they are going to stand me in good stead,” he added of those disappointments at the end of the Challenge Tour Grand Final in Mallorca. “I think from having been in the mix, I know what it takes to finish in the top 20 and hopefully that will prepare me better for being able to achieve that over the course of the season.”

Daniel Young is also heading into the weekend with victory in his sights, having added bogey-free 66 to his first-day 65 to sit just outside the top ten nine under, with Jack McDonald (67) and Craig Howie (66) making the cut as well on five and four under respectively.