ABU DHABI — Rory McIlroy sunk his first professional hole-in-one in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship second round Friday as the four-time major winner mounted another late surge to close within two strokes of leader Martyn Kaymer. The German, teeing off early, shot a flawless 67 for an aggregate 13-under score of 131, piling the pressure on McIlroy who arrived on the first tee under a blistering midday sun. The Northern Irishman, starting on five under, seemed unperturbed, making birdies on the first two holes, but the 25-year-old bogeyed the sixth to slip seven strokes behind Kaymer. McIlroy sunk further birdies at 10 and 11 before missing simple putts to pick up further shots on the next two holes. The world No. 1's luck was to turn on the par-three 15th, however, as he lofted a nine-iron tee shot 177 yards into the hole. “It definitely made up for the two previous holes,” McIlroy told reporters. “It was straight downwind. The 12th hole was playing sort of similar, I hit a nine iron there and pitched 194 so I knew it was a pretty good number. “I had been playing well, but had not been putting so good, so that took the putter out of it.” McIlroy fluffed a 12-foot birdie chance on 16 by inches, holding his face in frustration. He found sand on his final two tee shots, but recovered to sink a 15-foot birdie on the last green, knocking fists with long-time caddie JP Fitzgerald in celebration, his 66 giving him an aggregate score of 133. The late surge was similar to his first-round 67 when he made five birdies in the final seven holes. He is two shots adrift of Kaymer, a three-time Abu Dhabi winner, and one shy of Belgian Thomas Pieters. Pieters, seeking a first European Tour win, shot a 67 for 12 under. World No. 2 Henrik Stenson suffered the ignominy of missing the cut, a second-round 68 lifting him to par for the tournament following a disastrous first day. Casey, Simpson share lead American Webb Simpson proved he has made a smooth transition to a regular-length putter after shooting an eight-under-par 62 for a share of the Sony Open first round lead with Englishman Paul Casey in Hawaii Thursday. Simpson recently abandoned the belly putter he had used for a decade ahead of the new regulation banning players from anchoring the club from next year. In just his second event with the shorter ‘flatstick', the 2012 US Open champion needed only 10 putts on his inward half as he charged home in 28 strokes at Waialae in Honolulu. He was even par after eight holes before picking up eight birdies in his final 10 holes. Simpson and Casey both carded career-best scores on the PGA Tour to head Columbian Camilo Villegas and American Robert Streb by one stroke on a day when 69 players, nearly half the field, broke par in ideal conditions. Defending champion Jimmy Walker shot 66, only three days after losing a playoff at the Tournament of Champions on the nearby island of Maui. Rory Sabbatini had a 64, while Jason Day and Matt Kuchar were in the group at 65. — Agencies
