default-cbs-image

Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Tommy Fleetwood, the premier group at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship this week, combined to shoot an 18-under 198 on Friday during Round 2. They blanket the leaderboard and excited the UAE crowds on Friday afternoon.

However, none of them are leading.

That distinction belongs to Thomas Pieters who followed his 5-under 67 on Thursday with a 7-under 65 on Friday to get to 12 under. He's up one over Jorge Campillo. Fleetwood is two back. McIlroy is three back. Johnson is four back. 

The ending was electric as McIlroy made eagle at the par-5 18th to close out the day. It was his 36th consecutive hole without a bogey in his 2018 debut, and it sets up what should be a monster weekend in the Middle East.

Here are five takeaways from the round.

1. Rory rolling: Good morning here in the United States. Rory McIlroy is still the biggest thrill in golf. Thank you for your time.

McIlroy saved his best for last with this knee-weakening second shot on the finishing hole. It led to his only eagle of the first two days and a T6 position on the leaderboard when the dust settled. Is it too much to ask of McIlroy for him to win his first tournament back? Maybe, but his play the first two days has certainly warranted the discussion.

"Five shots to make up over the weekend is quite a lot especially with a bunched leaderboard, so to cut that deficit to three, I feel so much closer to the lead," McIlroy said. "I feel like if I get off to a hot start tomorrow before the leaders go off and all of a sudden you're one back or tied or the lead, and then you're really in the tournament."

2. Abu Dhabi Golf Club is pristine: The lines and colors are startlingly ebullient. The greens are perfect. The weather is spectacular. I know desert golf doesn't always produce the most architecturally-sound courses, but this one is certainly beautiful to consume on television, especially with the sun fading a little bit over the monstrous bird-like clubhouse beyond the 18th. I'm already excited about the weekend.

3. D.J. repeat? Last year, D.J. started 72-68-64 over the first few days and finished second. This year, he slid the 64 in on Friday and is the horse from the back everyone is concerned about. Round 2 was yet another example of why he's the most fearsome player in the world right now. He came into the day sitting on the cut line before shooting 32 on both sides. Now, he's suddenly one of the favorites again, and it's a movie we've seen before. He has work given the depth of the board, but he's at least given himself a shot.

4. Who's going to a shootout with Pieters? I'm confident that Pieters is going to either retain or be close to the lead going into the final round. Which of the three players mentioned along with Paul Casey (three back) and Martin Kaymer (five back) joins the party on Sunday and gives a heavyweight bout to kick off the European Tour season? That's going to be a fascinating subplot of the third round.

5. Fleetwood gets a cake: It was the Englishman's 26th birthday on Friday, and I laughed when McIlroy told him he baked him a cake before they teed off together. A great birthday present to himself? How about going out and winning this tournament a second straight year.