Day two digest: 2021 AVIV Dubai Championship

Everything you need to know from day two at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Antoine was back on top, Francesco was getting rewarded and making friends in the process and the never ending quest for improvement went on for Pádraig on day two of the 2021 AVIV Dubai Championship.

Here is everything you need to know from day two in the UAE.

Rozner back on top

Antoine Rozner just loves the Fire Course. After winning this event at a mind boggling 25 under last season, a bogey free 65-64 start this year means he leads by one after 36 holes. "You have to be over aggressive over and over and I did that really well last year," he said. "Obviously I can use that experience from last year, I think that's helping me because last year I was so aggressive over four rounds and I think it's paying off again this week. If I can keep doing what I'm doing for the next two days hopefully there will be a good result in there." After five birdies in his last six holes he is 15 under - just the 40 under for his six rounds at this event.

Laporta seeing the hard work pay off

Francesco Laporta was happy to see the hard work paying off as he fired a bogey free 64 to head into the weekend just one shot off the lead. The Italian finished in a tie for second at last season's inaugural event and his 66-64 start in 2021 means he is 37 under for six rounds played. While that result was his only top ten on the 2020 Race to Dubai, the 31-year-old has four this term and is happy to have his game on an upward trajectory. “I think this is the result of the hard work I’ve been putting in the last three months, my game is pretty solid," he said. "I like to work hard and me and my team, are working really hard and these are the results of that.”

Harrington still learning

As a three time Major Championship winner and Ryder Cup Captain, you would think Pádraig Harrington would know pretty much everything there is to know about the game of golf, but the 50-year-old insists he is far from done. On a day when he carded a 67 to prove he can very much still mix it on the European Tour, he revealed he was learning new things from senior golf. "I learned a very strong lesson at the Champions Tour event," he said. "Over the last number of years I have improved those weaknesses but I've definitely weakened my strengths and I could see that at the Champions Tour event. The last couple of weeks I'm committing myself maybe to get some of my strengths back. I could be talking to you in a few years' time and I could be telling you there's another little nuance to it because isn't that the crazy game of golf?" It's always enlightening talking to Pádraig.

No putter required for Casey

Paul Casey said earlier in the week how much he loved this course. We can see why when he produces shots like this.

MLV and Francesco make a friend

They say you should get golfers started young and Laporta and Mike Lorenzo-Vera were certainly helping that cause on Friday. This little one will probably be too young to remember his meeting with the two stars, but we're sure he'll be getting plenty of reminders down the years.