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By Kent Gray
David Horsey briefly had us on 59 watch, should really have shot 60 but was more than happy to sign for a course record-equalling 61 and the opening-round lead at the 3rd Saudi International.

The Englishman’s brilliant nine-under circuit of Royal Greens Golf & Country Club shocked no one more than the 35-year-old Englishman himself after he missed the cut in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai leading into the third leg of the Desert Swing.

“It’s a shock actually,” said Horsey who will take a one-stroke buffer over double Dubai champion Stephen Gallacher into Friday’s second round in King Abdullah Economic City.

“I’ve been playing rubbish the last couple weeks. Didn’t feel like I controlled my ball the first two events. Yeah, sort of had a conversation with a pal back home last night, talking a few things through and [he] suggested something that I work on away from the tournament.

“Knowing me, I thought, well, can’t get any worse, so I may as well try it and here we are.”

Can you give us a hint?

“Really just how my body is moving, quite sort of technical really. It’s nice to have a feel you can sort of wake up and pick up straight away. Yeah, I didn’t really feel like I missed many shots. I holed a couple of nice, lengthy putts as well and it all adds up to 61.”

Sounds like a fascinating chat. Who is this friend? Your coach?

“Jacob Calum. Weirdly enough, he’s only 22, and he’s someone that I’ve helped out sort of as an amateur at my golf club. He’s turned pro now.” said Horsey who has four European Tour titles to his name, the last of them at the 2015 Made in Demark.

“So yeah, I tried to sort of help him as much as I can and he’s now returning the favour. He’s really knowledgeable. I’ve not got a coach now for about, well, pretty much a year, doing a lot of stuff on my own and yeah, lockdown last year, just chatting about stuff really. He sort of makes a few good points and knows the golf swing really well and it’s nice to bounce a few ideas off someone who plays as well.

“Coaches sometimes find it difficult to relate to what we feel out there and maybe there’s quite a lot of them have played but the guys who haven’t, it’s quite tough to sort of get that point across. Yeah, because he [Calum] can relate to playing at the same time, yeah, it’s constructive conversations.”

It’s a good thing because there was no chance of easing into the $3.5 million European Tour event with clumps of red numbers dotted all over the leaderboard. Horsey provided the highlight with five successive birdies from the turn and seven in total in a homeward nine negotiated in just 28 strokes.

He had to hole a wedge shot on the 18th for 59 but was slightly fortunate his pulled approach didn’t end up wet and eventually signed for a par and a 61 which matched Johnson’s second round en-route to victory in the inaugural Saudi International in 2019.

“I had a little conversation with myself going down 16. I wanted to make birdie there. Sort of added it up and realised [I] can’t really reach 18 in two. So yeah, I think realistically, two good birdie chances, managed to birdie 17 and made a bit of a hash at the last. Got a par there.”

A total of 71 players dipped under par including Jordan’s Shergo Al Kurdi, the 17-year-old MENA Tour amateur order of merit leader who shares 49th place with freshly minted OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic champion Paul Casey on one under.

Bernd Wiesberger will start the second round third on six-under, a shot ahead of a six players including the best of this week’s strong PGA Tour contingent, Bryson DeChambeau. World No.1 Dustin Johnson is handily placed at three-under alongside, among others, the English trio of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Danny Willett.

Reigning U.S. Open champion DeChambeau used his significant length and putting to good use at the 7010-yard layout surrounded by the pristine coastline of the Red Sed.

“Definitely very pleased,” DeChambeau said afterwards.

“I was driving it a bit all over the place for the most part out there. Hit some good drives to 6 and 7. But was definitely struggling with the driver and a little bit of the irons, and I have to clean that up.

“I know I’m putting well. I know that I can hit it far out here. I’m disappointed it’s not as far as I would like it but once I got out there and was hitting some wayward shots I tried to try to rein it in and control it better.”