Staff WriterThe Abu Dhabi Challenge served up a pristine performance on Friday as France’s Robin Sciot‑Siegrist fired a bogey‑free five‑under‑par 65 to grab a slim, one‑shot advantage heading into the weekend.
Swinging smoothly around Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club, the left‑hander moved to 11‑under for the tournament and—crucially—kept a clean card despite testing desert winds and firming greens.
Six pars, then liftoff
Sciot‑Siegrist opened the round with six straight pars before lighting the fuse at the turn.
Three birdies in four holes vaulted him atop the leaderboard, and further gains on 14 and 16 cemented his status as the man to catch.
“I am just going to keep doing what I am doing and deal with the pressure,” he said. “There’s still two more days and a lot of golf to come.
We will see what happens at the end. I’ve been playing well. I made a lot of putts yesterday; it was a great round today.”
Navigating gnarly pins
With the mercury rising and putting surfaces hardening, birdies were anything but easy.
The 30‑year‑old, currently 64th on the HotelPlanner Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings, needed every ounce of control to avoid blemishes.
“I have to say, with the conditions, I am very happy with no bogeys today,” he added. “The pins are hard, the greens are getting firmer.
A couple of shots were quite difficult with the wind blowing and the pins were difficult to get to.”
Chasers lining up
- Sebastian Garcia: The Spaniard, overnight leader, birdied the final three holes to post 10‑under and keep Sciot‑Siegrist in sight.
- Garrick Porteous: Last year’s champion carded a sizzling 64 to sit two back at nine‑under.
- Pack at eight‑under: Davis Bryant (USA), Renato Paratore (ITA), Pedro Figueiredo (POR), Tadeas Tetak (SVK), Felix Mory (FRA) and Albert Boneta (ESP) all remain in striking range.
Weekend preview
The Abu Dhabi Challenge resumes Saturday at 07:30 a.m. local time, with the marquee trio of Sciot‑Siegrist, Porteous and Garcia pegging it at 09:30 a.m.
With firm greens, swirling gusts and leaderboard pressure converging, expect plenty of drama before someone can hoist the trophy—and perhaps recycle the champagne bottle for good measure.
