BAHRAIN COURSE RECORD: Callum Hill shoots 61 to take the lead

Callum Hill equaled the Royal Club record with an 11-under-par 61 to take a four-shot lead in the Bahrain Championship at the halfway stage.

The Scot made 11 birdies to equal the lowest score on the course – set by Brandon Robinson Thompson in the first round of the 2025 tournament – to take the lead by 16 points.

The 24-year-old, who is seeking his third DP World Tour title, has a comfortable lead over first-round leader Freddie Schott after the German added a 67 to his first 65.

Schott has 12 players under that, three behind France’s Ugo Cousseau, with a group of 11 players eight under – including former Masters champion Sergio Garcia.

“I started out really good and then got a few more shots from really long and kept making birdies,” Hill said after the least competitive round of his career.

“I knew the course record was 11 under, so I knew I needed to hit my last shot [to break it] And it looked very good in the air. I thought she had a chance.”

The golfer opened Fife with a birdie and then made three straight shots from the fourth to tie with Schott.

Hill reached 11 under for more birdies at the ninth and 10th, and made putts at the 13th and 14th after great approach shots.

He tied at 15 but finished his round with three straight birdies and had a good lead as a result of Schott’s putts at the 15th and 18th.

Koso finished with a birdie to move into third place alone at nine under, while Patrick Reed, last week’s Dubai champion, had six under.