Calum Hill equalled the Royal Membership’s course file with an 11-under-par 61 to take a four-shot lead within the Bahrain Championship on the midway stage.
The Scotsman made 11 birdies to match the course’s lowest rating – set by Brandon Robinson Thompson within the first spherical of the 2025 event – to grab the lead on 16 beneath.
The 24-year-old, looking for his third DP World Tour title, has a snug cushion over first-round chief Freddy Schott after the German added a 67 to his opening 65.
Schott is on 12 beneath, three away from Frenchman Ugo Coussaud, with a bunch of 11 gamers on eight beneath – together with former Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
“I began off rather well then had a number of bonus putts from actually lengthy vary go in and I simply stored making birdies,” mentioned Hill after the bottom aggressive spherical of his profession.
“I knew the course file was 11 beneath, so I knew I wanted to gap my final shot [to break it] and it regarded superb within the air. I assumed it had an opportunity.”
The Fife golfer opened with a birdie then picked up three pictures in a row from the fourth to attract stage with Schott.
Hill bought to 11 beneath with additional birdies on the ninth and tenth, and picked up pictures on the thirteenth and 14th following excellent method pictures.
He made a par at 15 however ended his spherical with three consecutive birdies and has a good-looking lead on account of dropped pictures by Schott on the fifteenth and 18th.
Coussaud completed birdie-birdie to maneuver into third on his personal at 9 beneath whereas Patrick Reed, champion in Dubai final week, is on six beneath.
