Lee Westwood took advantage of a couple of putting errors by money-list rival Rory McIlroy to grab a two-shot lead after the second round of the season-ending Dubai World Championship yesterday.
Westwood birdied the 18th to shoot a three-under 69 for a nine-under 135 total.
Fellow Briton McIlroy (69) shared second spot on 137 with overnight leader Robert Allenby of Australia (72), Colombian Camilo Villegas (71), South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (66), Briton Ross McGowan (66) and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington (69).
Triple major winner Harrington twice found water as he carded a double-bogey seven at the last hole.
Westwood, second behind Race to Dubai money-list leader McIlroy, was two shots adrift of his young rival after the Northern Irishman powered to the turn in 31 with three birdies and an eagle three courtesy of a superb approach at the seventh.
Missed putts of three and two feet for bogeys on 14 and 15, however, meant the 20-year-old McIlroy handed the initiative back to the Englishman.
Like McIlroy, Westwood opened with two birdies in a row, but then saw several chances go begging until he closed with two birdies in the last three holes.
■CAMBODIAN OPEN
AFP, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Welshman Craig Smith put himself in prime position for his maiden Asian Tour win when he grabbed the second-round lead at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open yesterday.
Smith opened up a two-stroke halfway advantage after firing a sizzling six-under 66 for a two-day total of nine-under 135. India’s Shiv Kapur, Filipino Artemio Murakami and Thailand’s Annop Tangkamolprasert are two strokes behind on 137 at the Phokeethra Country Club.
Overnight leader David Gleeson of Australia, Malaysia’s Shaaban Hussin, Will Yanagisawa of the US and Pariya Junhasavasdikul of Thailand are among the players in tied fifth position, three behind the leader.
■DUNLOP PHOENIX
AFP, MIYAZAKI, JAPAN
Overnight leader Kenichi Kuboya birdied the 18th hole to share a three-way Japanese lead after the second round of the Dunlop Phoenix tournament yesterday.
Starting the day with a three-stroke lead, Kuboya hit three birdies against three bogeys, before adding the last birdie for a 70 and a two-round total of seven-under 135, the same as Tetsuji Hiratsuka and Yudai Maeda.
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