Scott Jamieson hoping for 'more of the same' in breezy Bahrain over weekend

Scot has leaders in sights after coping well in tough second-day conditions in Persian Gulf

Scott Jamieson plays his second shot on the ninth hole during day two of the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies at Royal Golf Club. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

Scott Jamieson kept the leaders in his sights in testing second-day conditions and is hoping he can produce “more of the same” in breezy Bahrain over the weekend as he chases a second DP World Tour win.

On a day when benign conditions for Thursday’s opening round at Royal Golf Club were replaced by high and swirling winds in the Persian Gulf, Jamieson was pleased to add a one-under-par 71 to his first-day 67. On six under, he’s set to be just three shots off the lead when the second circuit in the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies is completed on Saturday morning.

“Yeah, I certainly would have signed up for anything under par before I teed off,” admitted the Florida-based 40-year-old. “Actually I probably gave myself a lot more chances today than I did yesterday. But, you know, putting in the wind can be just as challenging as trying to get it close to the hole.”

Starting at the tenth, Jamieson birdied the 15th, dropped back-to-back shots at the second and third before repairing that damage with gains at the fourth and sixth. All in all, it was a solid day’s work.

“It was obviously windy when we started, but I thought it was going to drop down a bit on our back nine,” he admitted. “However, it seemed to get gustier and gustier and that certainly made it tricky.” The par-3 second was particularly difficult due to the conditions. “I actually hit the green there but still walked off with a bogey,” he reported, laughing.

As scoring proved way more difficult than the first round, Swede Jesper Svensson carded an eye-catching 65 to share the lead with South African Dylan Fritelli and (68) and Swiss Joel Girrbach (70).

Explaining how the gusty winds made clubbing a big headache at times, Jamieson said: “Especially when you get a cross wind that is slightly helping then slightly hurting, it could be a 5-iron one minute then an 8-iron the next. Depending on what shape you are going to hit can make a big difference.”

After leaving it late to save his card last season, Jamieson has started the new campaign on an encouraging note and this is his third event with Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morbey, one of the most experienced caddies in the game, on his bag. “I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing,” he said of his aim heading into the weekend, when the breeze is forecast to be fresh on Saturday and moderate on Sunday. ”Especially today, I think I’ve done a good job of picking my shot and trying to commit to it and hopefully it will be more of the same.”

After an up-and-down 72 that contained six birdies and six bogeys, Connor Syme sits on four-under, one ahead of Calum Hill after he signed for the same score, while Grant Forrest and Richie Ramsay are also making the cut on two and one-under respectively.

In the opening event of the new Challenge Tour season, Daniel Young and Craig Howie both carded five-under-par 67s in the second round of the SDC Open at Zebula Golf Estate & Spa in Limpopo. Young’s six-birdie effort left him sitting just four shots off the lead on eight-under, four better than Howie, who was bogey-free in his circuit.