It doesn't affect me - Bob MacIntyre plays down giant image in Dubai

Six years ago, the Oban man arrived at Jumeirah Golf Estates as one of the tour’s rising stars and duly left as the Rookie of the Year - the first Scot since Marc Warren in 2006 to claim the coveted title.

He’s returned this week as a two-time Ryder Cup winner, a multiple champion on both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour and, of course, a player currently sitting in the world’s top ten.

On the back of all that, a giant-sized image of MacIntyre is alongside one of Rory McIlroy on the rear of the hospitality units that sit on the left side of the fairway on the par-5 18th on the Earth Course.

“Aye, it’s just there,” he replied when asked by The Scotsman about it after his second round in the $10 million Rolex Series event. “It’s just like a bit of paint on the wall, to be honest, for me. Look, it means you are one of the top players and they expect you to do something in these events.

“I actually saw it today when we were walking on to the 16th tee. We were having a laugh and Jorge [Campillo, his playing partner] had been wearing a Whoop for a few days and he can’t sleep, so he threw it in the bin. And on that photo I was wearing it and I said to him ‘look, I wear it every now and again’. Yeah, it is nice to see, but it doesn’t affect me.”

After adding a 67 to his opening 69, MacIntyre sits joint-seventh on eight under, four behind leader Nicolai Hojgaard at the halfway stage in the UAE. “I still made a few bogeys but the shorter holes I felt I was in play and knocking it in close and I rolled the putter nicely today,” he reported.

He was disappointed to bogey the fourth after being caught between clubs and finding sand but then made 2s at the three other par 3s. “My job for the par 3s at the end of this week is to be level par because they are so tough,” he admitted.

“But today I hit a beautiful 7-iron into six and a firm 7 into the middle of the green on 13 and made a beautiful putt there and then it was a lovely 6-iron into 17, which was a little left of my target. So a solid day’s golf.”

For the second day running, Ewen Ferguson finished birdie-birdie to sit on five under. In contrast, a bogey-bogey finish left Grant Forrest on the same score.

“That was class,” said Ferguson of his closing salvo, “especially as I was knackered coming down the last few holes. I had stopped playing as well as I had been and you start over-thinking things and I was a bit drained, to be honest. I hit an unreal tee shot on 17 again and at the last we gauged we’d get a flyer and it ended up stiff.”

The Dubai-based player had been on the clock throughout the back nine in his opening round. Had that put him under extra pressure during a second circuit alongside Tom McKibbin.

“It’s funny you should mention that actually,” said Ferguson. “I usually do feel under pressure in that situation, but I had the time sheet on the back of my scorecard today so I knew how long I had to finish the holes. I knew when to scurry on or slow back a bit.

“It was a good thing for me to remember for the future. The timing is quite strict actually. It’s four hours and five minutes, which isn’t a long time in the heat. It was a good pairing with Tom and we nipped on nicely.”