Rory McIlroy pays price for costly meltdown as World No.229 takes full advantage

Rory McIlroy was conscionable 2 shots disconnected the pb earlier his nightmare connected the 17th successful the 2nd circular of the Abu Dhabi Championship - but person Paul Waring changeable a career-best 61

Rory McIlroy faced a harsh setback amid the scorched sands of Abu Dhabi, trailing 9 shots down astonishment person Paul Waring aft a disastrous triple bogey successful the DP World Tour's archetypal playoff event.

The world No. 229 Waring soared into the spotlight with a stunning career-best 61 to found a commanding five-shot pb astatine the midpoint of the tournament.

McIlroy's circular was marred by catastrophe connected the par-3 17th wherever his quest for triumph was derailed by sand, starring to a triple bogey six aft a failed creation with 2 bunkers and a misstep with a three-putt decorativeness connected the green.

Having blitzed done the people for the bulk of his game, McIlroy had to judge a repetition show of 67 strokes alternatively of improving his spot connected the leaderboard.

Reflecting connected his performance, the Northern Irish golf prima said: "I played rather bully up until that point, and adjacent felt similar I deed a bully changeable into 17, a bully flighted 5-iron, deed the down slope and trundled into the bunker.

"It wasn't a large permission successful the archetypal place, but the nine bounced connected me, determination wasn't a batch of soil wherever the shot was successful the bunker there, and I conscionable benignant of made a messiness of it from there."

Despite the setback, McIlroy, who could clinch his sixth Race to Dubai rubric with a win, recounted his astounding comeback from a ten-shot shortage to instrumentality the crown successful Dubai this past January.

"I changeable 63 connected that Saturday successful Dubai and I'm going to request thing similar, if not lower, to springiness myself a accidental going into Sunday.

"I request the play people to steadfast up a small spot and toughen up a small spot to person a chance. There's truthful galore gettable holes retired there."

Waring illustrated his mettle with a stellar closing birdie, smashing a 3-wood from 265 yards to conscionable 3 feet, pushing him 19 nether par.

"That was the champion changeable I've ever deed successful my beingness to beryllium honest," an elated Waring expressed. "The tee changeable connected 18 was a small spot peculiar for maine due to the fact that I had been hitting it large each day, truthful adjacent implicit that 3 wood I felt similar could I deed a coagulated changeable into the portion of the greenish and conscionable deed a small draw.

"In full honesty I'm conscionable trying to support going, support making birdies. Obviously consciousness great, swinging it great. Putter is behaving. That's I'd accidental a anemic spot for maine present and again but I've done a batch of enactment connected it, and since moving implicit to Dubai I'm precise utilized to these benignant of greens arsenic well.

"I've got a bully pb astatine the infinitesimal but adjacent earlier I tee disconnected tomorrow, idiosyncratic mightiness person caught me. So if I'm going to beryllium progressive connected Sunday day I've inactive got to support going the mode I am."

Meanwhile, aft carding a 68, erstwhile front-runner Tommy Fleetwood finds himself locked successful a battle, tied for 2nd astatine 14-under par.