Reed leads Sullivan by one with McIlroy seven back

Round two of the Dubai Desert Classic

-9 P Reed (US), -8 A Sullivan (Eng), -7 A Pavan (Ita), F Molinari (Ita), -6 N Hojgaard (Den), -5 T Hatton (Eng), M Lindberg (Swe), O Lindell (Fin), J Schaper (SA), H Du Plessis (SA), -4 W Ding (Chi), D Puig (Spa).

Other notables include -3 S Lowry (Ire), T McKibbin (NI), E Ferguson (Sco), V Hovland (Nor), 1 G Forrest (Sco), E Pepperell (Eng), and 1 T Fleetwood (Eng).

After round two of the Dubai Desert Classic, American Patrick Reed leads England’s Andy Sullivan by one shot, with Rory McIlroy trailing by one shot heading into the weekend.

With nine under par, LIV golfer Reed shot a second-round 66 to move to the top of the leaderboard.

The 35-year-old shot an eagle three on Friday at the Emirates Golf Club, plus four birdies, in a bogey-free round.

The 2018 Masters champion hopes to finish in second place after three years at the event.

For the best round of the day, Sullivan, 38, shot a 65 to match Francesco Molinari’s score, which saw him return to the field after the field’s opening day.

In order to bolster his quest for a fifth DP World Tour success, the former European Ryder Cup player recorded four birdies, three bogeys, and an eagle at the 18th hole.

McIlroy shot a three-under 69 to move to two under after posting a disappointing one-over-par 73 on Thursday.

The five-time major champion will take satisfaction from the fact that, after the second round, he won by one of four shots, taking the title.

During his Friday round, the Northern Ireland player shot six shots and dropped three shots.

“I thought I did pretty well,” I thought. As the day progressed, conditions became more challenging as the wind picked up in the back nine, McIlroy said.

You must “pick and choose your spots,” decide when to play aggressive and use the par fives, and when to do so.

I thought I did a good job today, hit a lot of good shots, and made a lot of good putts that didn’t go in.

“I have a better chance than I did yesterday,” he said. Hopefully, I’ll post a low on Saturday and be ready for Sunday.

Andrea Pavan and Molinari from Italy are one and one behind Sullivan, while Nicolai Hojgaard from Denmark is in fifth place, six under.

Tyrrell Hatton is one of five players who is still in contention at five under after carding a 69, while Shane Lowry and Tom McKibbin are also in contention at three under after rounds 71 and 70, respectively.