Rory McIlroy will need a spectacular weekend to win a third straight Dubai Desert Classic title after slipping nine shots behind halfway leader Ewen Ferguson on Friday, while Jon Rahm missed the cut.
Four-time champion McIlroy mixed three birdies with two bogeys to card a one-under-par second round of 71 and sit on three-under for the tournament.
The world number three is playing his first event since winning the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai last November.
“A little frustrated. But I thought the conditions were a little tricky,” he said.
“Get out there early tomorrow and try to post a score and get myself up the leaderboard and give myself a chance for Sunday.”
McIlroy, who started the tournament with a two-under 70, bounced back from an opening bogey with a birdie on the second hole but missed several chances.
A five-foot birdie putt slid by on the short par-four 17th, but McIlroy made a birdie on the final green.
“The greens will continue to get a little bit firmer, and will put such a premium on putting it in the fairway and hitting a lot of greens,” added McIlroy.
Scotsman Ferguson snatched a one-shot lead over Daniel Hillier with an eye-catching finish.
He followed a birdie on the penultimate hole with a stunning approach shot on the 18th to set up a closing eagle.
Ferguson leads on 12-under overall after signing for a seven-under 65.
“I think I played well,” said Ferguson. “I just stuck to my game plan.
“I didn’t try and overpower the course like I had tried to last year. It’s just not my game. I hit seven-wood on some of the shorter holes that are tight and gave myself chances.
“Last year I felt like I tried to almost drive it on the greens, I don’t hit it as far as someone like Rory (McIlroy) and I had an awkward 30-yarder from the heavy rough but this time had a good strategy and felt good support out there so far. Yeah, 65 sounds nice,” he added.
World number 223 Hillier also made a brilliant eagle on the par-five last hole, finishing off a bogey-free 65.
The New Zealander will head into the weekend chasing just his second title on the European Tour, after his 2023 British Masters victory.
“Two very different days of golf,” said Hillier. “I think day one, striped it off the tee and gave myself a lot of chances.
“Just a solid round of golf. Today a few extra putts went in than I was expecting. Yeah, it’s nice to see those drop and hopefully they keep dropping.
“The wind was slightly different. So there were a couple of holes that played slightly different. But overall, it’s playable at the moment. It’s not as firm and fast as it can be but I’m sure over the weekend, it will get pretty fiery. It will be a good test.”
Rahm opened with a three-under first round but paid for a terrible start to his second day to miss out on the weekend.
The two-time major champion, starting on the back nine, made double-bogeys on both the 12th and 18th holes and eventually carded a five-over-par 77 to finish two shots below the cut line.
“Not the way you want to start the year, but if there’s any positive side of it, it is the beginning of the year,” said LIV star Rahm, who is hoping to play well enough on the European Tour to automatically qualify for Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team later this year.
“There’s a lot of golf and a lot of months to look forward to.
“I have a pretty clear idea of what I need to work on.”
Viktor Hovland, who showed signs of form late last year after a difficult season, also missed the cut after adding a 73 to his disappointing 75 on Thursday.
His 2023 European Ryder Cup-winning teammates Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre remain in the chasing pack, on four-under and five-under overall respectively.
Tyrrell Hatton, who plays alongside Rahm in LIV Golf, is only four strokes off the top of the leaderboard in a tie for third place after firing 65.
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