Andy Sullivan is tied at the top of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters leaderboard alongside Spaniard Jorge Campillo after the Nuneaton GC member shot his second 66 in Dhoa. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

JORGE Campillo and Andy Sullivan shared the lead heading into the weekend at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

But they have a host of European Tour winners breathing down their necks at Education City Golf Club – the new venue for the event which has been a cornerstone of the European Tour’s Desert Swings for 20 years.

Sullivan – looking for his first European Tour title since he claimed three in 2015 to earn his Ryder Cup place in 2016 – took advantage of the low winds in the morning to fire a second consecutive 66 to get to 10-under.

And it looked for a long time as if the man from Nuneaton Golf Club would not be caught at the top of a congested leaderboard.

Sullivan, whose maiden win came at the South African Open early in the 2015 season, said: “I’ve got it under lock at the moment.

“I feel like I am control of myself, which is the most important thing for me, I really felt like I took my time a little bit more on shots and stuff.

“When I have been doing well before I generally rush the shot, maybe try to hit it a bit quickly.

“So I have been trying to take my time a little bit more and be a bit more composed over the shot trying to hit it to the right areas,” said the 33-year-old from Warwickshire, who won the Selborne Salver by shooting at record 60 at Blackmoor GC, in 2011.

“I’ve not been super aggressive the past two days and I have holed a couple of putts to keep me in it.

“So like I said yesterday, it’s just about being patient and that is what I have been doing the past two days,” said Sullivan, who stacked shelves at Asda 10 years ago to earn money to support his amateur golf career.

“I feel like I have grown up a little bit now on the golf course. You know I think that having a laugh on the course is all well and good – and I still enjoy it.

“But for me, I have really had to knuckle down the past two days to keep myself in check because there are times when I find myself wondering.

“It has been difficult, and it is something new for me, trying to keep focused for so long. Normally I drift in and out a little bit.

“But it’s been really good and positive signs as the golf has been really good,” added Sulllivan, who also recorded three wins in a season as an amateur in 2010 – winning the Hampshire Salver, the Lagonda Trophy and the Midland Amateur Championship.

But just when it looked like Sullivan might lead the tournament heading into the weekend, Jorge Campillo went blemish free in posting his own 66 to also get into double figures and join Sullivan in top spot.

“I’ve worked on a few things over the last week and in Oman, said Jorge Campillo.

“It’s working out good and I’m putting great as well – I’ve been putting awfully lately – and it’s been a great two days.

“It’s a nice position to be in going into the weekend. Hopefully I can play like this and if I do, I’m going to have a good chance to win on Sunday.”

•Jorge Campillo is due to defend his Trophee Hassan II title at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, which he won in April last year, when the event moves to its new date in June.

Björk goes lowest at Education City

SWEDEN’S Alexander Björk carded the lowest round of the week and his European Tour career with a course record 63 to sit at nine-under.

Björk, whose maiden win came in the 2018 Volvo China Open, said: “I have been struggling a lot lately, but I have been starting to feel last week that the game was getting a bit better.

“I played quite good yesterday but did not get the putts to drop, so I don’t know.

“I just got in a really good flow from the start, hitting almost every fairway, kind of firing at the pins so it just felt really good.

“I took advantage of the really calm weather and when you feel like the swing is really there, and there is no wind, you can aim at the pins and I got a lot of good chances.

“Like I said, I have been coming off quite a tough stretch, so it was a lot of fun to actually feel the flow again, and maybe my best round tee to green since I won two years ago.

“It was fun to get that feeling again because it was a long time ago.”

Bjork is alongside countryman Marcus Kinhult, Essex’s Oliver Fisher, Frenchman Romain Langasque and Dutchman Joost Luiten, a winner in Oman two years ago.

Danish trio Nicolai Højgaard, Benjamin Poke and Jeff Winther, South African Darren Fichardt, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and England’s Jack Senior are three shots off the lead.

Teenage senation Højgaard, who led after a superb 64 on Thursday, added a level-par 71, containing three birdies and three bogeys as he seeks to match twin brother Rasmus’ rookie win in Mauritius.

•For live scoring in round three click here.

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Denmark teenager Nicholai Højgaard took the first round lead in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters’ first visit to Education City Golf Club, with a superb 64. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

DENMARK’S teenage prodigy Nicolai Højgaard produced a remarkable run of scoring on the back nine to take the first round lead at the 2020 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

Nicolai is looking to follow brother Rasmus into the winner’s circle – having announced himself on the professional stage when he finished second to Sergio Garcia at last season’s KLM Open.

Since then Nicholai – and identical twin brother Rasmus – whom he played with when the won the Eisenhower Trophy at the World Amateur Team Championship two years ago – have been blazing a trail on the European Tour.

Rasmus came through European Tour Qualifying School and then won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open on his European Tour debut in December, becoming the third youngest winner in its history,

Today, it was Nicolai’s time to shine at Education City Golf Club.

The 18-year-old turned in one-under but then made six birdies in eight holes from the 10th as he came home in 29 and hit the summit at seven-under after a 64.

Nicolai Højgaard said: “It was a good day. I started out slow – was playing really bad on the first four, five, six holes.

“I was still two-under at that point. But I was just playing it all over the place. My putter was just on fire today – that’s the difference.

“When I came to the back nine I was hitting fairways, hitting it close and rolling the putter,” said Nicholai, who also played in the Junior Ryder Cup in France, two years ago.

“You just hit the button and you keep going. I was hitting the fairway, I was hitting greens, I was getting close on the par fives.

“My putter was just the difference today. I was playing okay with the long game but I was just holing everything.

“The back nine is a bit more tricky off the tee so I would say it was more of a three-wood on the back nine, I was hitting a lot of three-woods and it was pretty good.”

Sullivan in chasing pack in Qatar

DUTCHMAN Joost Luiten was a shot back of leader Nicolai Højgaard and one ahead of a group of six players including Warwickshire’s Andy Sullivan, the 2016 Ryder Cup player, who won three times in 2015, but has not added to that success since.

Luiten said: “I am absolutely pleased. Seven birdies and one dropped shot, it wasn’t really needed that dropped shot coming out of the middle of the fairway.

“But on a golf course like this where it is really tricky on and around the greens, I was out of position, so sometimes you just have to accept the bogey. All in all, I am happy with my game.”

Luiten preferred not to spend too much time practising in the build-up because of strong winds in Doha, on Tuesday and Wednesday,

“I didn’t do a lot of practise because you can ask yourself if it really helps if you hit into a 50mph wind on the range?

“So I tried to stay away from it and played the course, get to know it a bit better and it was beautiful today.

“I think on the golf course if you are in the fairway you can be pretty aggressive to the undulated greens.

“I hit my irons and driver beautiful today which created a lot of chances and I rolled in a couple of putts.”

Spaniards Jorge Campillo and Carlos Pigem, Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli, Belgian Thomas Pieters, and another Dane in the shape of Jeff Winther all carded five-under par 66s to join Sullivan in a share of third place.

•For live scores in the second round of the Qatar Masters click here.

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Ryan Fox has the chance to wrap up the PGA of Australia Order of Merit with a good finish to 2020 at the Australian PGA Championship at the Gold Coast’s RACV Royal Pines Resort. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

NEW Zealander Ryan Fox tees it up at the Australian PGA Championship this week – in a battle of the bombers – with his sights set on a strong start to his 2020 European Tour campaign.

The Kiwi is making his first European Tour appearance of the new season at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast.

Fox is hoping to carry his encouraging form from the end of 2019 into the new year.

The 32-year-old also leads the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia’s Order of Merit by AU$75,000, knowing that a strong performance this week would see him win the season-long rankings in the Southern Hemisphere.

Fox, who is officially the biggest hitters on the European Tour, said: “It has been a much nicer end to the year.

“If you take the Open out at Portrush, it was a very lean patch in the middle. I was pretty desperate there for a while, even when I came back from a break after the Open it was still a bit of a struggle.

“It was nice to find a bit of form in the back part of the season,” added Ryan Fox, who turned pro in 2012 and has three wins Down Under in total, as well two on the European Challenge Tour.

“The Dunhill Links was the start of it for me, shooting a 64 in the first round – even though I didn’t finish it off – it was the start of feeling better on the golf course.

“Although I haven’t quite put it together, the last six or eight events there’s been some much better golf and a lot of positives to take out of that,” added Fox, whose maiden European Tour win came in the ISPS Handa World Super 6s in Perth, in February, which earned him AU$245,413.

“I’m in a pretty good position on the Australasian Tour money list, so it’s a chance to lock that up – that goes over a calendar year.

“If I can do that, it’s a good start to the 2020 season for me,” said Fox, who has earned AU$295,029 in four events, and is trailed by Zach Murray.

Fox added: “There’s a lot to play for this week. It’s a course I’ve played a lot, I know it fairly well and have had a couple of decent results in the past – so I’m looking forward to a good week.”

Fox will start this year’s tournament in the company of twice-defending champion Cameron Smith – fresh from playing in the President’s Cup team for Ernie Els’ Internationals at Royal Melbourne – and American starlet Cameron Champ – the latest big-hitter to come out of US college golf.

•For tee times in the first round of the Australian PGA click here.

Hill looks up to Rookie MacIntyre

LOOKING to build on an encouraging start to his rookie year on the European Tour, Scotland’s Challenge Tour graduate Calum Hill is teeing it up in Australia for the first time in his career, this week.

Hill will follow up results of 13^th and T17th at the Alfred Dunhill Championship and AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open respectively.

The Kircaldy-raised golfer will draw up the successes of Hero Indian Open winner Stephen Gallacher and David Law, who won the ISPS Handa Vic Open, in February. while Robert McIntyre, was named 2019 European Tour Rookie of the Year last month.

“I’ve never been to Australia before,” Hill admitted. “Coming here, I’ve had a great first impression, so I’m looking forward to getting started.

“I can’t complain with my start to the year. I had a chance in Mauritius but didn’t do well on the final day.

“As long as you can keep giving yourself chances throughout the year, I’m sure one of them will turn up,” added Hill, who won twice on the Challenge Tour in 2019, having graduated from Western New Mexico University, in 2016.

“It’s fantastic having a group of Scottish guys, with Stevie (Gallacher) as the experience and some of the younger guys coming through who are around my age too.

“To have Stevie win, Bob do great and Davey win, it’s good to see. My team are great at guiding me and showing me what I need to be doing.

“Of course the Rookie of the Year Award is on my mind, it has to be. If you’re not looking at that – especially coming from the same management group as Bob.

“You hope to achieve similar to what he has done, if that happens then you’re laughing. Fingers crossed.”

The 25-year-old, who is attached to Gleneagles, finished second on the Road to Mallorca rankings and is currently 16^th on the 2020 Race to Dubai rankings.

Nicolai is ‘better than Rasmus’

BIDDING to follow in his brother’s footsteps as a European Tour winner is Nicolai Højgaard, whose twin Rasmus won the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open two weeks ago.

That victory saw Rasmus become the third-youngest winner in the Tour’s history at the age of just 18 years and 271 days.

That wn put him behind Italian Matteo Manassero, a winner at just 17, in 2009, and New Zealand’s Danny Lee, who was 18 when he won the 2009 Johnnie Walker Classic, in Perth, while still an amateur, in the European Tour history books.

The Højgaard twins represented Europe at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup before turning professional at the start of 2019 – having helped Denmark win the Eisenhower Trophy at the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship.

If anything, Nicolai is regarded as the better player of the two, having risen to No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.

Nicolai’s best result so far of his burgeoning European Tour career was a runner-up finish to Sergio Garcia at the KLM Open, in September.

Højgaard, who was unable to earn a full European Tour like Rasmus, at the Qualifying School, in November, said: “It would be cool to follow up my brother, but sometimes it just comes out of nowhere.

“I saw last season it can happen suddenly. I’m hoping for a good week here, I’m not focusing on the result. I’m trying to improve my golf – this is a kick-start to the season so it would be nice to have a good finish.

He admitted Rasmus winning was “a big motivator, for sure.”

Højgaard added: “I’m really happy for Rasmus, but I really want to do the same.

“I’m trying to not get carried away with his result and trying to focus a bit more on myself.

“If I finish second here, it’s still good. I don’t have to compare myself to him all the time. I’m happy for him, but hopefully I can follow that up this week.”

Cameron Smith is bidding for a hat-trick of successive wins in the 2019 Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort this week

Reasons for Australian PGA date switch

THE Australian PGA Championship is topping off a huge three weeks of golf in Australia – following the Emirates Australian Open and The Presidents Cup.

Gavin Kirkman, chief executive of the PGA of Australia, said: “The Australian PGA Championship has been embraced by the players and sports fans for its fun atmosphere.

“We feel it is important for it to be the final tournament of the year for us to deliver that experience expectation.”

The Australian PGA Championship week began with the Greg Norman Medal dinner on Tuesday night, where the highest achievers in the Australian golf industry were heralded for their accomplishments.

The fun continues with the MyGolf Kids Day on Wednesday, and the 16^th Hole Marquee party.

Switching to a later date in the 2019 schedule has opened up the opportunity for people to enjoy Christmas celebrations at the golf tournament.

Additional festive activations have been added to the entertainment and corporate hospitality line-up in 2019.

While the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour players battle it out on course for the Joe Kirkwood Cup, the Australian PGA Order of Merit race will also come to a conclusion.

The winner of the Norman Von Nida Medal will be awarded following the Australian PGA Championship’s conclusion on Sunday night.

The ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit provides a plethora of opportunities to the winner, including full status on the European Tour, a start at The Open – and entry into the World Golf Championship tournaments.

Kirkman added: “We have seen some thrilling conclusions to the Australian PGA Championship and the Order of Merit in recent years, and feel the atmosphere created on the Gold Coast is the perfect setting for them to be celebrated.

“This was one of the motivating factors in the change of date.”

When the 2019-20 schedule was originally released in the autumn of 2018, the 2019 Australian PGA Championship was set to be played from November 28 – December 1, until the switch to this week’s date was announced back in March.

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