January 22, 2010
Unheralded Kulacz leads in Abu Dhabi, while Westwood misses cut
PA Sports/PGA.com
Australia’s Richard Green tees off at the 14th hole during the first round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday Jan. 21, 2010.
(Full-size photo)
Australian Rick Kulacz carded 11 birdies in an incredible 9-under-par 63 Friday to move into a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
The 24-year-old Perth native secured limited playing rights on the European Tour with a final round 64 at Q-School last year — a round he rates as his best ever given what was at stake — but was handed a spot in the field this week via a sponsors invite.
And the two-time winner on the Asian Tour took full advantage to charge up the leaderboard to 12 under par, one clear of Sergio Garcia, Shane Lowry and Peter Hanson.
While Kulacz’s score, a figure Paul Casey also posted en route to winning last year, is an achievement in itself, it is more remarkable given the fact he was so unhappy with his pre-tournament practice that he needed a phone call to his coach back home on Wednesday to iron out the flaws in his game.
“I was just in the zone. I tried to get it on the green and every putt went in,” said Kulacz, who dropped just one shot in his first-round 69. “It was just one of those days where everything went right.
“That round is definitely top five in my career,” he added. “I think the one at Q-School was better under the circumstances; to get to Europe was pretty special.”
Kulacz shot a final-round 65 to come back from four behind to win the New South Wales Open as amateur in 2006, while he achieved a first win as a professional courtesy of a chip in on the first playoff hole at the 2008 Brunei Open.
“I will have to see if I can deal with the pressure, it’s a totally different story than Q-School,” added Kulacz. “The players are the best in the world excluding the USA and they are way too good to go backwards.”
Irish Open champion Lowry carded a bogey-free 7-under 65, world No. 13 Garcia dropped just one shot in a 67, and Sweden’s Hanson went one better with a flawless 67 of his own over The National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
Former champion and last year’s runner-up Martin Kaymer (67); Chris Wood, who carded a bogey-free 64; and Rhys Davies (68) are just a further shot off the pace, with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter in a group at 9 under.
Defending champion Casey beat the cut with a second-round 69 to advance to the weekend alongside Italian amateur Matteo Manassero after the British Amateur winner crucially birdied the last to card a 72.
But European No. 1 Lee Westwood crashed out, and cited a prolonged Christmas break and a new set of irons as the reasons for his six-bogey 78.
Westwood, however, quashed suggestions that missing the cut was a reality check following his storming finish last year.
Westwood produced an unstoppable end to 2009 to claim a second Order of Merit title and headed to Abu Dhabi as one of the obvious favorites. But he struggled after putting a new set of irons in his bag to comply with the new rules regarding grooves.
“It’s just a bit rust. There were a lot of variables this week,” he said. “My caddie was pointing out going round, ‘What a time to change your clubs when you are playing your best golf’.
“The way I’ve driven it today, I flushed it off the tee, I just need to do some work with my irons,” he explained. “I don’t know if they’ve put the wrong shafts in, they just don’t feel right and they don’t feel the same.
“They feel like fishing rods. I don’t think it’s much to do with the grooves, I just haven’t had a chance to go out there and do any testing.”
Westwood will get a new set of irons flown out while he will also re-shaft his current set ahead of next week’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters.
“Yesterday was just a really good 69, it could have easily been 77 the way I played,” he added. “I got away with murder yesterday and today I didn’t.”
