Romain Langasque stormed into the halfway lead of the Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge with a five-under par second round of 67 that took him to 11 under overall.
The Frenchman dropped a shot on the ninth but was otherwise flawless at Al Hamra Golf Club as he moved one shot clear of his nearest rivals and put himself in contention for a first European Challenge Tour title.
It has been an outstanding debut season in professional golf for the 21-year-old Frenchman featuring three runner-up finishes and three top fives on the Road to Oman.
More from the RAK Golf Challenge:
• Round 1: Max Orrin and Pontus Widegren lead way after opening round
• In pictures: Golfers mark inaugural RAK 2016 Golf Challenge by hitting balls off Jebel Jais
He knows a victory would be a fitting way to prepare for life on the European Tour next year. “It would be the perfect way to finish the year,” Langasque, ranked No 10, said.
“It could be very interesting, if I won this week, to have a chance next week to win the Grand Final, too.
“Let’s see what happens this week first. I’m just going to do my best and have fun.
“I just want to continue like this and stay patient. I thought too much about the win in Kazakhstan, so this week I’ll try to go shot by shot and just do my best.
“This is my first time here and we’re really lucky with this weather. The course is quite young, I think, but the design is very fun to play because you can make a lot of birdies.
“You have to be aggressive around here, which is my natural game. It suits me perfectly because I don’t have to change my style, I like that.
“It’s a really fun place to play, and I played really well. I liked the course, so that’s two really good rounds to start this event and we will now have to see how the weekend goes.”
Behind Langasque are Johan Edfors, who birdied five of his final six holes to get to 10-under par alongside Garrick Porteous and overnight co-leader Pontus Widegren.
One shot further back is a large group including Pep Angles, who made nine birdies on his way to a course record 64, and Jordan Smith, who is bidding to regain his No 1 ranking.
Alexander Knappe took the top spot for the first time last week but the German missed the cut in RAK, which fell at two-under par, with 70 players – including local favourite and amateur Rayhan Thomas – qualifying for the final 36 holes.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Match info
Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The%20specs%3A%20Macan%20Turbo
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FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)