ABU DHABI // Rafa Cabrera Bello made the most of “very, very scoreable conditions” on Friday morning to move into the lead in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, but given his liking to the region, perhaps that was to be expected.
The Spaniard, now based in Dubai, has many good memories of the Middle East to draw inspiration from, having won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2012. Last year, he finished runner-up in both Dubai and Qatar.
A second-round 66 in Abu Dhabi improved significantly his chances of going one better this week, as seven birdies and one bogey moved Cabrera Bello to the top of the leaderboard. By the time he came off the National Course, he held a three-shot advantage over his nearest competitor, compatriot and 2014 Abu Dhabi champion, Pablo Larrazabal.
It seems Cabrera Bello, something of a desert specialist, is at it again.
“I always said it: I like playing in warm weather, I like playing in breezy conditions and I like watching palm trees and being under the sun,” Cabrera Bello said. “Who doesn’t? “It reminds me of home, of the Canary Islands. If I break it down to that, I think that’s probably why I’m happy living here.”
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Beginning on the back nine, Cabrera Bello posted four birdies in five holes between 12 and 16, before a bogey at the sixth threatened to derail a fine round. However, he responded immediately by birdieing the next, then firing two more to sign off for a 6-under par 66.
Asked what he thought his lead would be by the close of play, Cabrera Bello said: “I have no idea. I don’t know if it’s going to be very breezy. I do think I’ll have a very good chance going into the weekend. That’s all I care about.”
By early afternoon, Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, tied-third last month in Hong Kong in his most recent European Tour appearance, moved within two shots of Cabrera Bello following a bogey-free 67. Larrazabal was one stroke further back, alongside Wang Jeung-hun, the rising star from South Korea. Both shot 67s, too.
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