DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
With 7 holes to play John Rahm -21, Francesco LaPorta -21, Rory -20 and Tyrrell Hatton -20 are neck and neck coming down the home stretch in this version of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Click on my leaderboard icon above to follow live scoring
More to follow...
Bryan Angus
PGA Tour : World Wide Technology Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
Rookie Ben James 65 64 66 -21 is closing in on the top 50 (#52) to lead this World Wide Technology Championship by 4 shots over Ryan Gerard (65) -17.
James was the #1 ranked player on the 2026 PGA Tour University rankings which has earned him a full Tour card for 2027, made 3 birdies in a row to begin his round on Saturday, and was never challenged, looking for his first PGA Tour win.
Three Canadians have M/C Pendrith, Hughes, Ewart, none are in contention this week, playing to improve their status on Sunday.
CANADIANS (with FedEx / OWGR standings)
T22 Sudarshan Yellamaraju -1171 63 71 64/ 121
T27 Ben Silverman -10 69 66 71 114 / 231
T27 Nick Taylor -10 69 70 67 72/ 92
T65 Adam Svensson -5 68 69 74 181 /549
MC Taylor Pendrith - E 68 76 104 / 129
MC Mac Hughes +1 72 73 103/ 156
MC AJ Ewart +4 73 74 106 /
Bryan Angus
DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
Big time names Adam Scott, Tyrell Hatton, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy are all over the leaderboard on another sun drenched Saturday day on the Yas Links GC outside Abu Dhabi.
Rory would be alone in the lead if not for a surprising double bogey 6 at the par 4th 10th where he drove the green but the ball just caught the front bunker, into a terrible lie, his explosion flew over the green into the rough and he stickhandled his way from there to the six.
Bryan Angus 7am est
FINAL EDIT 2026/11/07 12pm EST
Jon Rahm produced a roaring back nine to surge into a one-shot lead at the 2026 Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
The two-time Major Champion went out in the final group after sharing the lead with Tyrrell Hatton and Francesco Laporta and despite a slow start to his third round, he burst into life after the turn.
Rahm went birdie-eagle-birdie from the tenth which catapulted him to the top in his brilliant -6 66 as he kept his playing partners at arm's length at -18.
He has five Rolex Series stars to his name and will hope to get his name on the trophy at Yas Links to move one ahead of good friend and rival Hatton.
Laporta and Hatton will once again play with Rahm in the final group on Sunday, with the pair one shot behind and Rory McIlroy in solo fourth at -16 under.
The World Number Two birdied the second and after four straight pars, he finished the front nine with a hat-trick of gains to reach -15.
Laporta nudged back ahead with a birdie at the tenth, the same hole McIlroy double-bogeyed after getting in trouble when shooting over the green from a greenside bunker.
McIlroy stormed back from his blip to rattle off four straight birdies from the 11th, which included a magical drive to find the par-four 14th, to join Rahm at the summit.
Rahm moved ahead on his own with a birdie at the 15th and McIlroy slipped two behind after a poor bunker shot at the par-three 17th.
Laporta remained in the hunt with a birdie at the 16th to move alongside Hatton T2 at -17 under before the trio parred their way home.
McIlroy shook his head after he only parred the last to card -5 67 -16 while Adam Scott, who is yet to drop a shot at Yas Links, is at -15 after six birdies in his third round .
Spain's David Puig mixed six birdies and two dropped shots to sit one stroke further back with Jordan also at -14.
"It was a good day overall," Rahm said. "Just holes four, five, and six got away from me for a second. I was in a good position on every single hole with a chance for birdie. Fantastic round, but overall, obviously very good golf.
"It would be amazing (to win). It's been a good year so far, but to win again on the DP World Tour would be special.
"To add to the Rolex Series tally and make it six would be fantastic as well."
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
PGA Tour : World Wide Technology Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
American Ben James 65 64 -15 is closing in on the top 50 (#52) to lead this World Wide Technology Championship by a shot over Peter Malnati 66 64 -14 who has moved from 157 to #107 in his quest to retain his PPGA Tour card for 2027.
A brilliant bogey free 9 birdie 63 has shot Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju up the leaderboard T6 at -10 and importantly to 62 in the Fed Ex standings.
CANADIANS (alphabetical, with FedEx / OWGR standings)
Three Canadians were well placed #101 Mac Hughes, #102 Taylor Pendrith, #104 AJ Ewart to make the top 100, but the position on the bubble is precarious and this week they are moving backwards so far after 36 holes.
T6 Sudarshan Yellamaraju -10 71 63 62/ 121
T16 Ben Silverman -9 69 66 114 / 231
T36 Adam Svensson -7 68 69 178 /549
T62 Nick Taylor -5 69 70 76/ 92
T95 Taylor Pendrith - E 68 76 106 / 129
T100 Mac Hughes +1 72 73 105/ 156
T114 AJ Ewart +4 73 74 109 /
Bryan Angus
PGA Tour : World Wide Technology Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
American Chris Kirk is ranked #110 FedEx rankings, so his exceptional -9 63 has done him a world of good with 3 events left in the Fall Series to retain his card, he is projected #57.
Nick Dunlap and Zack Blair are T2 -8 64.
Here are the 7 Canadian scores after 18 holes...all moved backwards in the projected Fed Ex standings
CANADIANS (alphabetical, with FedEx / OWGR standings)
Three Canadians were well placed #101 Mac Hughes, #102 Taylor Pendrith, #104 AJ Ewart to make the top 100, but the position on the bubble is precarious so they will be looking to have a strong week to solidify their status.
T29 Taylor Pendrith -4 68 103 / 129
T29 Adam Svensson -4 68 179 /549
T46 Ben Silverman -3 69 118 / 231
T46 Nick Taylor -3 69 75 / 92
T88 Sudarshan Yellamaraju -1 71 67/ 121
T96 Mac Hughes E72 104/ 156
T101 AJ Ewart +1 73 106 /18
Bryan Angus
DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
>>5.50 am est, 2.50pm in Abu Dhabi 2026 / 11/ 06
Playing in ideal desert weather in Abu Dhabi, sunny, clear blue sky, very little breeze, hot on an immaculate Yas Links GC the scoring this Friday morning is low.
Of the early starts, favourite Rory McIlroy led the way with an 11 birdie barrage -9 63 to move into the clubhouse lead at -11.
" Yesterday was yesterday, today was today where despite opening with a bogey, I did everything well, driving, irons and the putts were falling to shoot myself back in contention.
The course is very gettable today, no wind, so well see how the late guys do on the back nine, I'll probably be two or three off the lead..."
* The top 3 with the round well under way T1 Tyrrell Hatton, Matthew Jordan -12, T2 McIlroy, LaPorta, Rahm -11.
FINAL EDIT 10.30am est 7.30pm Abu Dhabi
Ryder Cup team-mates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton reeled in Francesco Laporta to share the lead heading into the weekend at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
Italian Laporta had led after a brilliant 62 on day one but a 70 in round two at Yas Links left the door ajar and close friends Hatton and Rahm took advantage.
Hatton carded a 65, two shots fewer than Rahm, and the pair will now both head into the weekend at -12 alongside Laporta looking for a record sixth Rolex Series victory.
Rory McIlroy is hoping to join them to join them, and he carded a 63 to sit one shot back alongside Pole Adrian Meronk and English pair Sam Bairstow and Matt Jordan all at -11
The Northern Irishman is also hunting an eighth Race to Dubai title and with leader Eugenio Chacarra back on -3, he is well positioned to advance his cause on that front.
McIlroy found an unplayable lie as he bogeyed the first but then birdied the second, fourth and seventh and made five in a row from the ninth.
That run ended with a bogey but he would still make gains on three of his last four holes for a total of 11 birdies - his highest in a DP World Tour round.
Meronk and Jordan both carded rounds of 67, one shot fewer than Bairstow 68, to sit a shot ahead of Spaniard David Puig and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger at -10
Hatton was a winner of this event in 2021 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club but seems equally at home at Yas Links with a second and two other top tens in four starts.
The Englishman birdied his first two holes and then made four in a row from the sixth to turn in 30.
Further birdies followed on the 11th and 13th as he hit the front on his own but a bogey on the 16th dropped him back closer to the pack on a day where several players had held a share of the lead.
"Really happy how I've played," he said. "Obviously, there's been a couple of mistakes. But overall, compared to where I've been at over the last month and a half, it's nice to put a couple of decent scores together again."
Event debutant Rahm went out in the final group of the day and was soon in front with birdies on the second, third and fifth.
He then made four birdies and three bogeys in a roller coaster next seven holes before a two-putt birdie on the last put him back on top.
"Pretty good play," he said. "Only thing to take back would be just a couple of bad tee shots right now, feeling fairly comfortable otherwise. I'm really looking forward to (the weekend). This part of the world has treated me very well, and I'm hoping I can do on the weekend what I've already done.
Laporta had a roller coaster of his own as he bogeyed the third but then made a hat-trick of birdies from the seventh.
"End of the day, it was a good day," he said. "I didn't start very well, I was one over after six. Then I made three birdies in a row, a few mistakes on the back nine, but few really in the last four.
"I'm quite happy about how I finished but still a lot of golf to play."
Bryan Angus
-
DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times Leaderboard
Playing in ideal desert weather in Abu Dhabi, sunny, clear blue sky, gentle breeze, hot on an immaculate Yas Links GC 36 year old Italian Francesco LaPorta made it look easy, out early this morning with an 8 birdie, 1 eagle 30 32 -10 62 for the clubhouse lead.
He moves up 51 places in the Race to Dubai Rankings to #6.
Spaniard Jon Rahm returning to action after the birth of his 4th child, and England's Sam Bairstow are T2 with -7 65.
Remember these 70 players will be reduced to the final 50 who will contest the Tour Championship next week in Dubai.
FINAL EDIT 1pm EST..2026/11/05
Francesco Laporta matched the lowest round of his DP World Tour career to storm into a three-shot lead after round one of the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
The Italian carded an eagle and eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 to get to -10 at Yas Links, three shots clear of former World Number One Jon Rahm 65 -7, Englishman Sam Bairstow 65 -7 and Austria's Bernd Wiesberger 65 -7
In the battle to win the Race to Dubai, leader Eugenio Chacarra and third-placed Rory McIlroy carded rounds of -2 70, with second-placed Patrick Reed recording a +2 74.
The 36-year-old Italian, has had a quietly impressive season, the highlight of which so far has been a runner-up finish at the Investec South African Open Championship.
That was the third second-place of his DP World career, a career which has seen him truly establish himself on Tour in recent years after coming through the Qualifying School and then twice graduating from the HotelPlanner Tour, winning the Road to Mallorca in 2019.
"Everything was just going like a video game, like just hitting shots straight and making some putts and just giving myself opportunities," he said. "I'm very happy about that.
"Actually, I was struggling a bit in the last few days. So I had a lot of time on the range yesterday and I spent a lot of time on the greens, just understanding how to work around the lines and the spin because the greens, like they're pure, but they're also quick. So now it works."
Bairstow was the last man in the field and the first man out in the morning, making the most of his opportunity by carding seven birdies in a bogey-free effort.
Spaniard Rahm was playing the event for the first time and was also bogey-free as he looks to make it to Dubai next week.
Wiesberger is currently on track for dual membership with the PGA TOUR and he carded eight birdies and a single bogey -7 65 to sit a shot ahead of England's Matthew Jordan and Pole Adrian Meronk both -6 66
Defending champion Aaron Rai, fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, in-form Japanese Yuto Katsuragawa, China's Wenyi Ding, South African Shaun Norris and Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan were then a further shot back at -5 67s
McIlroy carded six birdies in his round -2 70 including a hat-trick from the 14th, but carded an 8 on the 12th after being penalised two strokes under Rule 8.1b(4) for his actions immediately before playing his fourth stroke, his second chip shot from the rough.
Chacarra -2 70 carded six birdies and four bogeys, while Reed T56 +2 74 made a birdie, a bogey and a double on the last.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times
Rory McIlroy is aiming to turn his remarkable record in Abu Dhabi into a long-awaited victory as he hunts history at the DP World Tour Play-Offs.
SITUATION
The Northern Irishman arrives at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship in the unfamiliar position of chaser as he seeks a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title and fifth in a row.
He currently sits third in the Race to Dubai Rankings behind leader Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed but with enhanced points on offer at the fourth Rolex Series event of the season, any of those three or fourth-placed Casey Jarvis could end the week on top.
Out of those four, history would suggest the advantage would lie with McIlroy, with the Northern Irishman having four 2nd and six 3rd finishes at this event, with two of those thirds coming at Yas Links in the last two seasons.
He also has seven wins in the UAE in the neighbouring Emirate of Dubai - where we head next week for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship - and would dearly love to complete his unfinished business in Abu Dhabi.
HIS THOUGHTS
"I feel like the UAE in general has been a good place for me," he said. "It's crazy to think that the 15 years that I've been coming here with how many times I've been in contention, I haven't been able to get over line.
"Hopefully this year I give myself another chance. I feel like we played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club for a lot of years and then from coming here recently, the course is definitely growing on me. I think the first time I played it, I probably didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoy it now.
"I think a big part of that is conditioning of the course and how great the greens are and the surrounds and the fairways and everything.
"I'd love to win. I need a big week to give myself a real chance going into Dubai next week, as well. Hopefully I play well and at least give myself another chance."
He is now looking to match Colin Montgomerie''s all-time tally of 8, an achievement that has been high on his list since he started his season in Australia almost 12 months ago.
"It's always a goal," he said. "You just hope you play well in the big tournaments early in the year so you give yourself a chance at this time of the year to win it.
"Hopefully, the experience of playing this course a few times and then the experience of being in this position of trying to win season-long races, whether it be in Europe or America, and having done that for quite a few years, hopefully that experience gives me a little bit of an edge.
MATCH UP
McIlroy will play round one in the company of his two closest rivals, reigniting a history with Reed that has seen the pair go head-to-head on several occasions, most notably at the 2016 Ryder Cup and 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
It will, however, be the first time he has played alongside Chacarra and he is looking for ward to seeing the Spaniard up close.
"I think just from watching him, he seems to excel on difficult golf courses," he said. "So I'd say he's got a good attitude and the right attitude about how he does things.
"It looks like he's quite a feel player. Sort of hits a lot of different shots. But I'm looking forward to playing with him here over the next couple of days. He's had a great season.
"I'm sure he's very high on confidence at the minute, too. It will be interesting. Patrick obviously in there as well.
"I know I need a good week this week and we're going to be playing alongside each other. So we are going to be keeping an eye and seeing how each other is doing but I'm excited for that."
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus
DP WORLD Tour : Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship Tee Times
Remember Abu Dhabi is 9 hours ahead of est. So 9.05am in Abu Dhabi is 12.05am est.
FORMAT
* 70 players have made this playoff after a season on the Race to Dubai points list
* 50 players will go on to play the season ending Tour Championship on the Earth Course in Dubai.
Check all the TEE TIMES by clicking on my link above.
FEATURE GROUPS (local time)
9.01 Jon Rahm, Matt Wallace, Ewen Ferguson
11.50 Rory McIlroy, Patrick Reed, Eugenio Chacarra
WEATHER
The BBC forecast for all this week is the same, Sunny 23/35*c with a gentle breeze
Bryan Angus
By Edoardo Molinari
In his regular Rolex Series column for the DP World Tour, Edoardo Molinari identifies the key holes and the players to watch out for at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship.
This article is a My Tour exclusive. A three-time DP World Tour winner, the Italian has become one of golf's leading data analysts for a host of established players and will aim to help Europe to a third consecutive Ryder Cup triumph next year in his role as a Vice Captain to skipper Luke Donald.
Analysing the numbers, Molinari previews the fourth Rolex Series event of the season at Yas Links as the DP World Tour Play-Offs get under way.
Rai's victory 12 months ago was his second in a Rolex Series event and since then he has gone on to become a Major winner at the US PGA Championship.
Tommy Fleetwood shared the lead after round one but Rai caught him after 36 holes and led by one from his fellow Englishman on Saturday night.
Come Sunday evening the duo could not be separated at -25 and after playing the 18th in almost identical fashion on their first trip back in the play-off, it was Rai who made his birdie putt to take the title.
* Rai's weapon was his iron play: gaining him a field-leading 1.97 shots per round in appproach and 2.9 shots per round tee to green, the second best in the field.
* His putting by contrast could hardly have been more pedestrian as he gained 0.01 shots to be 34th in a 72-man field.
* Fleetwood on the other hand worked wonders with the short stick, finishing fifth in putting at 1.4 shots per round gained but picked up just 1.6 shots tee to green.
* He made just one bogey all week with that profile so there is clearly more than one way to succeed at Yas Links.
• The hardest hole on the course since the tournament moved to November: it averaged 4.07 in 2024 and 2025, with 15% birdies against 19% bogeys or worse. It is the longest par four on the course and the hardest green to hit: only 70% of the field hits it in regulation.
• Three quarters of the field find the fairway, but missing it costs 0.55 shots: 3.93 from the fairway against 4.48 from anywhere else.
• The hardest par three and the second hardest hole in November: 3.05 on average, 15% birdies against 18% bogeys or worse. Only 74% of the field hits the green.
• The easiest hole on the course: 73% birdies or better in November, including 11% eagles, with 86% of the field going for the green in two.
• It is still the most expensive fairway to miss on the course: 4.04 from the fairway against 4.63 from anywhere else, a 0.59-shot penalty. From the rough only 39% of the players go for the green.
• The one par five that is not a birdie hole: 4.86 in November, with 34% birdies or better against 17% bogeys or worse. Only 45% of the field go for the green in two, and the second shot here has the largest spread of outcomes of any shot on the course. That matches the hole itself which has the biggest spread of scores on the course
• Going for it pays: from the fairway at 260-290 yards, players who went for the green averaged 4.51 against 5.00 for those who laid up, and from 290-330 yards it was still 4.58 against 5.03. The tee shot decides it: the 11% who find a fairway bunker average 5.34, against 4.74 from the fairway.
Since changing from January to November this is a birdie race (-24 and -25 won the last two editions) on a course that rewards length off the tee and great iron play: three of the four par fives are reachable for most of the field, and the last two winners were the best approach players of the week.
• Rory McIlroy has the best course record in the field at 2.2 shots gained per round over 12 rounds and has finished third in both November editions. He is also the best player off the tee in the field over the last 12 months at +1.05, the skill that separates most here in November, and is the second highest rated player in the world in our model.
• Tommy Fleetwood lost a play-off here last year and was sixth the year before, matching McIlroy at +2.4 shots per round in November. He is the third highest rated player in the world in our model and has the best form in the field over the last six months.
• Aaron Rai won this with his irons 12 months ago and is the third best approach player in the field over the last 12 months at +0.7 shots per round.
• Tyrrell Hatton has three top seven finishes in four starts at Yas Links and is +1.6 shots per round over 16 rounds. That is the third best course record in the field even after a 41st place last year.
• Victor Perez won here in 2023 at -18 and was +3.3 shots per round that week. He has the second best course record in the field at +1.6 shots per round over eight rounds) which is built on his short game (+0.65) and putting (+0.8).
• Daniel Hillier was tied fifth here last year at -22 with 1.9 shots gained per round putting and has been the fifth best player off the tee in the field over the last 12 months, which suits Yas in November.
Bryan Angus (edit)
HotelPlanner Tour : Grand Final Results
The Frenchman, who was guaranteed of promotion to the DP World Tour before the season finale in Mallorca, posted his second 65 of the week to reach 22 under par, four strokes clear of the Dane, who narrowly held onto solo second to capture the season-long title.
Sale ends the year second on the Rankings and will now step up to the DP World Tour for the first time in his career. He becomes the fifth player from France to win the Grand Final.
"Coming this week, I didn’t have much stress because I knew I was inside the top 15 and the goal was to and win the tournament and obviously try to finish number one on the ranking and to do that," he said.
"I was going to have fun already this morning for tonight but now I'm going to enjoy it even more with my family here.
"It was a tough day today because obviously a lot of pressure and I knew that if you guys behind me, were going to play well and try to catch me but I'm really happy with how I played."
Brown becomes the fifth Dane to win the Road to Mallorca Rankings after Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (2024), Marcus Helligkilde (2021), Joachim B Hansen (2018) and Thomas Bjørn (1995).
The 27-year-old posted a closing -5 67 in Alcúdia to reach -18 for the week and held onto solo second after South African MJ Daffue saw his birdie putt slide by on the 72nd hole.
"It means a lot," said Brown.
"It's been a proper grind again today, just like last Sunday. It gives me a lot of confidence. I had a tough year last year on the DP World Tour, but I wasn't too far away, I thought, and it's just moments throughout a season that needs to go your way and I'm not I'm not scared of it for next year.
I'm quite looking forward to it because I know what it what it is now. I know what I need to do and not to do. I'm trying to just expect more of myself."
TOP 15 PROMOTED
Dutchman Lars van der Vight, a two-time HotelPlanner Tour winner this season, ends the year as #3, with another two-time victor, Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand, #4.
MJ Daffue, who won twice at the start of the year in South Africa and India, rounds out the top 5, with Spaniard Pablo Ereño #6. Tapio Pulkkanen #7 returns to the DP World Tour at the first time of asking and is joined by Adam Wallin #8, Liam Nolan #9 and John Gough #10
Sebastian Friedrichsen ends the year in #11 after sealing his breakthrough win in Portugal and is joined by Englishman Will Enefer #12
Marc Warren delivered during the back nine on Sunday with a tied for fifth finish helping him climb seven places to #13. Andrew Wilson ends the year in #14 while Frenchman Maxence Giboudot held onto the all-important #15 position to confirm his spot on DP World Tour for the first time.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
PGA Tour VidantaWorld Mexico Open Leaderboard .
American Andrew Novak was in great shape for this first individual win on the PGA Tour at -23 190 with his accurate driving, iron play and a hot putter he tied the course record -10 61 on Friday, then add a weekend 62 69 -25 to cruise to victory by 5 shots.
He moves from 89 to #53 on the FedEx points list, with a solid chance of the first 2 signature events in 2027 and more importantly spot in the upper Championship series in 2028.
Canadian Mac Hughes has had his fair share of frustration this year, but this weekend he found his form and held it over 4 rounds, 65 67 67 66 -19 T4 and that has him in a good spot at a projected #101 to crack the top 100 who will get their 2027 cards..
" This gives me a bit of momentum going into the last three, I know I still need more points, need to keep climbing, but this week was a big step in the right direction"
Fellow Canadian AJ Ewart is also nicely placed at a projected #104
Canadians (Rank / owgr)
T7 Hughes, Mac -14 65 67 67 109/ 185
T22 Silverman, Ben -10 66 69 68 117 /238
T26 Sudarshan Yellamaraju -9 66 72 66 63/120
T41 Adam Hadwin -7 71 65 70 172 /
T48 Conners, Corey -8 68 67 74 67 58 / 62
T58 Ewart, AJ -6 70 66 71 71 104/ 193
MC Pendrith, Taylor E 71 69 -2 102 /125
MC Svensson, Adam -1 75 66 182/534
Bryan Angus
HotelPlanner Tour : Grand Final
The one-time HotelPlanner Tour winner, who entered the week 7th on the season-long race, carded a -2 third round of 70 to move to -15, one-stroke clear of England’s Charlie Forster 66, American John Catlin 68, and South African MJ Daffue 67, all chasing at -14.
Having turned at level par, the 2026 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge winner picked up his second birdie of the day on the 11th before adding one more birdie on the 15th to pull clear at the top.
"It was tougher today with the wind. It was a lot trickier, but I hung in there," he said.
"The front nine played tough but I managed to make a few birdies on the back nine and finish under par to keep the lead so I’m happy with today."
"Patience is important out there, especially on the front nine as it’s the harder of the two nines. You know the back nine is going to present opportunities," he added.
"Unfortunately, the putter wasn’t as hot as I would’ve liked but I still made a few and I’m happy with the way I handled myself today."
Forster made the most notable charge on moving day, mixing seven birdies with one dropped shot to sign for an impressive -6 66. The Englishman is embarking on his rookie HotelPlanner Tour season and will become the first player from the Global Amateur Pathway Rankings to earn promotion to the DP World Tour via the Road to Mallorca.
"I hit the ball really well off the tee again so set up those opportunities was really key out there," he said.
"I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow. I’ve got a lot of family and friends watching so I’m sure they’re going to be up for it too. I’m just going to treat it as a normal tournament and if it happens there’s a great reward at the end."
Denmark’s Hamish Brown, who started the week in the Number One berth, holds solo fifth on -13, one stroke ahead of Italian Matteo Cristoni, Scot Marc Warren, Spaniard Joseba Torres and Dutchman Lars van der Vight, all -12.
The Grand Final is the 28th and final event on the HotelPlanner Tour’s 2026 Road to Mallorca schedule, with the 45-man field competing for one of 15 DP World Tour cards on offer.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
PGA Tour VidantaWorld Mexico Open Leaderboard .
American Andrew Novak is in great shape for this first individual win on the PGA Tour at -23 190 with his accurate driving, iron play and a hot putter to tie the course record -10 61 then add a Saturday 62 to lead by 6 shots heading into Sunday.
You may remember he teamed up with Ben Griffin to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans last year.
Canadian Mac Hughes has had his fair share of frustration this year, however he remains optimistic in a recent interview with my former colleague Bob Weeks, and so far his 65 67 67 -14 T7 has him in a good spot at a projected #109 to crack the top 100 who will get their 2027 cards..
The cut fell at -4 on this resort course at VidantaWorld, that is not providing much of a test to this PGA Tour field this week.
The average score is nearly -3 on a par 71.
Canadians (Rank / owgr)
T7 Hughes, Mac -14 65 67 67 109/ 185
T22 Silverman, Ben -10 66 69 68 117 /238
T26 Sudarshan Yellamaraju -9 66 72 66 63/120
T41 Adam Hadwin -7 71 65 70 172 /
T55 Ewart, AJ -6 70 66 71 104/ 193
T60 Conners, Corey -4 68 67 74 57 / 62
MC Pendrith, Taylor E 71 69 -2 102 /125
MC Svensson, Adam -1 75 66 182/534
Bryan Angus
HotelPlanner Tour : Grand Final
Julien Sale produced a back nine birdie blitz on his way to a second round -7 65 to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend of the Grand Final at Club de Golf Alcanada.
The Frenchman mixed ten birdies with three dropped shots on Friday in Alcúdia to reach -13 at the halfway stage, one shot ahead of Dutchman Lars van der Vight.
The Grand Final is the 28th and final event on the HotelPlanner Tour’s 2026 Road to Mallorca schedule, with the 45-man field competing for one of 15 DP World Tour cards on offer.
"Today was a great round, and I cannot believe I made ten birdies," he said.
"I’ve been playing really well and managed to make a couple of putts which was nice. I had a couple of mistakes, but the birdies were there."
Sale is assured of promotion to the DP World Tour following a fine campaign which has included a breakthrough victory and five further top ten finishes. After taking charge in Mallorca, Sale is now projected to top the season-long Rankings and become the first Frenchman to achieve the feat since Mike Lorenzo-Vera 19 years ago.
Van der Vight also showed his fire power on Friday, matching Sale’s effort with a bogey-free 65 of his own, helping him to -12 and solo second.
Overnight leader Joseba Torres also kept pace with a -4 effort meaning he’s one back of the Dutchman on -11 under. The Spaniard, who has uncle José MarÃa Olazábal mentoring him this week, requires a sixth place finish to keep his hopes of promotion to Golf’s Global Tour alive.
American John Catlin holds solo fourth on -10 one stroke clear of England’s Matthew Southgate and South African MJ Daffue, -9
The third round of the Grand Final will get under way from 10:38am on Saturday, with Sale teeing off alongside Van der Vight and Torres at 12:02pm.
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
