Royal Wimbledon’s Ryan Lumsden leads the 2020 Journey to Jordan No. 2 at Ayla Golf Club, after two rounds – and wants to record his maiden MENA Tour win in just his third start

ROYAL Wimbledon’s Ryan Lumsden has been knocking on the door since his MENA Tour debut last month… today he has the chance to grab his maiden victory.

He has what could be a crucial two-shot lead after an extremely windy second round of the $75,000 Journey to Jordan No. 2 at the Greg Norman-designed Ayla Golf Club.

The London-based Scotsman shot a superb bogey-free 69 to take his 36-hole tally to six-under – two clear of Somerset’s Walker Cup player Tom Sloman (70) and Essex’s Benjamin David (71).

Lumsden will be playing the Byron Nelson Classic on the PGA Tour in May after winning the 2109 Byron Nelson Award while in his final year at Northwestern University – the same Chicago college where Luke Donald played golf.

Lumsden, who qualified for the 2018 US Open as an amateur, was pleased with the way he handled himself on a difficult day.

“It was a little windier and touch trickier than yesterday, but I played solid,” said the former Scottish international.

“It was all about missing it in the right places and hitting smart shots. I kept the ball out of the wind pretty nicely,” added Ryan.

He started with a birdie on the par-four 10th, then made an up-and-down on the par-five 17th – before making his final birdie of the day on the third hole where he wedged it to tap-in distance.

“I just hit one bad shot today, on the par-four seventh hole, and it did not get into the water and stayed on the edge,” said Lumsden. “But the game was pretty consistent, and my lag putting was good.”

After back-to-back 69s, Lumsden was relishing the chance to test himself again in a final round after recent near-misses.

He played the last two holes to one-over and lost in the play-off in the Qualifying School at Ayla GC, in January.

At the Journey to Jordan No. 1 on the same course in February, he was one shot off the lead, but had a poor final round.

Last week in Bahrain, Lumsden was two-over for the last four holes to lose by two as Yorkshire’s David Hague became the latest rookie winner on the MENA Tour in 2020.

“I have been learning from those mistakes and trying to figure out how I can play the golf I have been playing when I am down the stretch and get over that hump and get my first win on the MENA Tour,” added the 23-year-old, who earned his first Official World Golf Ranking points in Bahrain.

“I have been thinking about it lately. I did a much better job in Bahrain last week,” Lumsden revealed.

“My mistakes weren’t really mental out there. Just a couple of good shots ending up in positions where I did not think they would.

“I just need to stick to the process of hitting one good shot after another.

“It’s really going to be a case of staying in the moment and not letting my head get in the way and thinking ahead.

“I just see it as another opportunity to figure out my stuff coming down the stretch and I see it only helping me down the line,” added Lumsden, who was named in the original Walker Cup squad a year ago, but did not earn selection to play America at Royal Liverpool.

Knipes chasing down Lumsden

ANOTHER Essex pro – Curtis Knipes – playing in his first season as a professional, stayed in contention in the race to catch Lumsden after a level-par 72.

That tied him for the fourth place at three-under par alongside American Ben Schlottman (68), Dorset’s MENA Tour veteran Luke Joy (70) and the Swedish pair of Filip Lundell (70) and Ake Nilsson (71).

Overnight leader Mitch Waite started in sensational fashion by making an eagle on the par-four 10th hole after driving the green.

But four subsequent bogeys dropped the Gloucestershire player – who played in the World Amateur Team Championship for England two years ago – down to solo ninth place at two-under.

Sloman, who has been a picture of consistency in his debut season on the MENA Tour, was two-over par after eight holes.

But the former England international, who turned pro after playing for Great Britain & Ireland against the USA at Hoylake, in September, pulled it back with four birdies coming in.

They included two in his last two holes, the eighth and ninth, having started from the 10th.

The race to earn the start in the Trophee Hassan II on the European Tour was still on between David Langley and Hague.

Langley made the cut on the number, while Hague was tied 34th and will need to finish inside the top-10 depending on his rival’s finish to get the start in Morocco, in May.

Hague, playing in the same group as Sloman, was one-over at the turn and replicated his playing partner’s scores on the closing two holes to add a 71 to his overnight 69.

The cut came at nine-over with 49 professionals and one amateur – India’s Arjun Gupta – proceeding to the final round on Wednesday.

•To follow live scoring click here.

The post Rookie Lumsden looking for first win as he leads Journey to Jordan No. 2 by two shots appeared first on Golf North.

Mitch Waite has headed to the MENA Tour after three promising appearances on the European Challenge Tour and leads the Journey to Jordan No. 2 at Ayla Golf Club

GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S Mitch Waite has been trending in the right direction in recent weeks on the MENA Tour.

And the former England international provided more evidence of where his game is headed by taking sole possession on top of the leaderboard on a windy opening day at the $75,000 Journey to Jordan No. 2, on Monday.

The 24-year-old from Bristol made a three-putt bogey on his final hole – but five birdies before that ensured an opening card of 68 to lead on four-under par at Ayla Golf Club.

The 2018 Hampshire Hog winner holds a one-shot lead over playing partner Benjamin David and Curtis Knipes – both from Essex – and Surrey-based Scot Ryan Lumsden, from Royal Wimbledon.

Waite said: “I have not played too well around here, so I had a slightly different mindset this week to go and shoot the best that I possibly can.

“I am lucky I played with good guys – David and Sloman – and they played well as well,” added Waite, who finished tied 37^th in the Journey to Jordan No. 2 last year.

“I had a decent start today, went a bit quite in the middle and kept playing well on the back nine.

“I hit two good shots into the 18th but ended up with a bogey,” said last year’s EuroPro Tour member Waite, who secured his MENA Tour card by finishing 10th at January’s Qualifying School B, in Jordan.

Mitch Waite, winner of the 2018 Hampshire Salver and Hampshire Hog, at North Hants GC.
Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES

“It’s just one of those things, and I have got to take the positives from this. I was five-under par through 17 and shot a 68 which was a good round.”

The Felton Golf Club member started working with coach Liam James, based at The Belfry while his friend Will Donald is his mental coach.

“I have come out this year with a better mental frame and probably better technically,” said Mitch, who was largely unknown before his win at North Hants – the home club of Justin Rose – just two years ago.

“I did not have any status and just played on invites in 2019. But it was a slow year and I did not get going,” said Waite, who rocketed up the England rankings two years ago.

He was picked for Great Britain & Ireland against Europe, in the St Andrews Trophy, in Finland, and featured on the winning England team at the Home Internationals at Conwy GC.

That lead to his selection alongside Hoylake’s Matthew Jordan, who is on the European Tour in 2020 after his maiden win on the Challenge Tour last year, and Staffordshire’s Gian-Marco Petrozzi for the Eisenhower Trophy where he played alongside the likes of PGA Tour winner Viktor Hovland and Denmark twins Rasmus and Nicholai Hjøgaard.

Waite revealed: “I have worked on all departments of the game and very much looking forward to what 2020 has in store.”

Waite, who turned pro late in 2018 after finishing runner-up at the European Amateur, and was a semi-finalist at The Amateur Championship, has had a good start to the year.

He played the three Sunshine Tour events in South Africa that were co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour on invites.

The South West pro made all three cuts and was tied seventh in Cape Town.

Mitch, who first found his liking to South Africa on a winter warm weather trip with former Gloucestershire team-mate Joe Long in 2017, now sits 13^th in the Challenge Tour Race to Mallorca Rankings.

He is three spots behind fellow MENA player Harry Ellis, from Hampshire, who was fourth in Cape Town.

“It would be nice to get a playing status on Challenge Tour,” said Waite. “Obviously, I want to win and getting it on the MENA Tour would be great.

“But these are things you cannot rush. I look at Hague, Langley and Bailey Gill and they have all gone and won events in their first few weeks as a pro.

“And here I am, have been a pro for more than a year and still haven’t got my first win.

“I can get down upon myself, or I can keep doing the right things and stay patient knowing that my week will come.”

Surrey-based Scot Ryan Lumsden is a shot behind Mitch Waite in the Journey to Jordan No. 2

English quartet in chasing pack

THERE are plenty of former England internationals in the chasing pack at Ayla Golf Club.

Somerset’s Walker Cup player Tom Sloman, the third player in Waite’s group, shot 70 to be tied fifth alongside Sweden’s Ake Nilsson on two-under.

Middlesex’s Pavan Sagoo, Hertfordshire’s Jamie Rutherford, Dorset’s Luke Joy and Filip Lundell, winner of MENA’s Qualifying School B at Ayla, were tied seventh at one-under after carding 71s.

In the race between David Langley and David Hague to secure the Trophee Hassan II start on the European Tour, Yorkshireman Hague was slightly ahead of his rival – even though both players had a start to forget.

Hague, from Malton & Norton GC, opened with a 75 and Berkshire’s Langley, from Castle Royle GC, shot 77.

India’s Arjun Gupta was the best-placed amateur in the field, tied 20th after a 74.

•To follow live scoring in the second round of Journey to Jordan No. 2, click here.

The post Patient Mitch happy to Waite for first professional win after good start in Jordan appeared first on Golf North.