Joaquin Niemann from Chile is in the lead after the second round of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, held at the Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia as part of the Asian Tour.

The top players have emerged at the season-ending event, with four golfers locked in a tight contest at the halfway point of the $5 million tournament. Cam Smith (Australia), Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Peter Uihlein (USA), and Logan McAllister (USA) are all tied at 11 under-par 131, setting the stage for an intense weekend as these elite players vie for the championship in one of the most anticipated events of the season. Niemann shot rounds of 65 and 66, Smith 67 and 64, McAllister 68 and 63, and Uihlein 65 and 66.

Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, also a LIV Golf alumnus, is one stroke behind after a 63, along with Englishman Steve Lewton, who shot 65, and American Jason Kokrak, who returned a 68.

Leading amateur Adam Bresnu from Morocco is shining, sitting in 11th place at eight under par after impressive rounds of 65 and 69.

Smith is aiming for his first 72-hole victory since winning the Australian PGA Championship at the end of 2022 and is well-positioned to achieve that goal. He spent the last two weeks in Australia, where he finished second in the Australian PGA Championship, and arrived in Saudi Arabia jet-lagged but welcomed the calm conditions this morning. "Just played really solid," said the 2022 Open champion. "I didn’t really do too much wrong. The bogey-free game was nice. It was just really quite an easy round of golf, which is obviously nice." Smith won twice on the LIV Golf League last year individually and has been runner-up three times this season, including a playoff loss in Hong Kong.

Niemann is also eager for victory this week. "I’ve been playing great. I feel like I’ve been missing that Sunday round in the last couple of tournaments that I’ve played. I’ve been having a chance to win all of those weeks, but I just didn’t have that good Sunday," he said. "Right now, my form has been the best, a really good first two rounds. There’s still a lot of golf to play, and I’m looking forward to that."

With the course having been lengthened this week and several changes made, McAllister and Hatton’s rounds counted as a new course record. Hatton did most of his work on the back nine, birdieing five of nine holes.

Uihlein is in a strong position to win the Asian Tour’s International Series 2024 Order of Merit, which he narrowly leads from John Catlin (US). Catlin is tied for 34th after rounds of 68 and 69.

Gaganjeet Bhullah from India was the best of the UAE-connected golfers, shooting a second-round 67 to be five under par and tied for 34th. Three other UAE-connected players, Anirban Lahiri (India), Adrian Meronk (Poland), and Joshua Grenville-Wood (UAE), did not make the cut, which fell at three under par with 72 players advancing to the final two rounds.

Twenty-year-old Moroccan amateur Adam Bretsnu, who won the Men’s Individual title at the recent Pan Arab Golf Championships in Ajman, UAE, and was part of the Team champions from Morocco, shot rounds of 66 and 68 to be in the mix on eight under and in tied 11th.

The first tee time for round three is at 6.43 am, with the leaders teeing off last at 11.05 am, all off the first tee in three-balls. The final pairing includes Smith, Niemann, and McAllister.

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