Rasmus Højgaard says a greater sharpness on the greens proved key as a seven-shot swing in his performance from the first round saw him catapult up the leaderboard at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
The in-form Dane, who has finished no worse than a tie for 11th in the first four events of the year on the DP World Tour, erased the disappointment of his opening one-over-par 73 to fire a 66 in the second round at Doha Golf Club.
After birdieing the tenth – his opening hole of the day – he mixed three birdies with an eagle over four of the final five holes of his front nine, before cancelling out his only dropped shot at the par-three third with a gain at the seventh to sit in a group at five under, four adrift of clubhouse leader Haydn Barron.
The four-time DP World Tour winner admitted the calmer morning conditions made scoring easier than his first round but he was still happy to capitalise on the opportunities he created.
“Obviously the wind doesn’t blow as much in the mornings so it is a little easier to control the flight but again I spoke to my putting coach yesterday and I said it is small margins," he said.
"I couldn’t find the pace yesterday and didn’t hole any putts. Today I started to roll them early and it just makes a huge difference for the confidence out there.
"It wasn’t a big difference from yesterday, just a little sharper."
Højgaard registered a top-20 finish at this event last year when it was held in October but this time around the greens are playing firmer - something the 22-year-old is enjoying in the blustery conditions.
“I do prefer tricky conditions like this where you do have to be on your game to make sure you set up some good chances,” he added. “I like this set up.”
