Jamie Donaldson was delighted to utilise all of his experience as he carded a brilliant 68 in the wind to put himself right into contention heading into the weekend at the Bahrain Championship presented by Bapco Energies.
The 48-year-old Welshman is this week playing his 493rd DP World Tour event 23 years after his first, having in between won three times and hit the vital shot to secure the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2014.
While high winds were the challenge at Royal Golf Club, Donaldson has seen everything this game has got to throw at him and was happy to be able to put all that to use on day two.
“You’ve got to be patient every week, depending on what happens," he said. "Whether it’s calm or windy, you’ve got to be patient because you never know what’s coming in golf.
"You’ve got to give yourself every opportunity to hit the best shot you can. I managed to do that today and maybe these older years helped a little bit.”
After opening his round with a birdie after a smart approach to the first, Donaldson was able to capitalise on three of the four par fives, dropping a shot on the other and holing a long putt at the 11th as he got to seven under.
“It was really tough out there but the score didn’t reflect it," he said. "I played really well today.
"Warming up this morning, the wind is just pumping across that range. As we got onto the course and holes altered on the angle, it became easier in places. You had to make birdies when you could and hold on for the rest of it.
“I’ve played a lot in the wind and enjoy playing in the wind, you’ve just got to be on it.
"Today I played really well, hit the ball really well and put the ball in the fairway on most of the holes. That makes it easier but every shot is difficult and it was nice to play like I did and come in with a good score."
