South African Retief Goosen recovered from the embarrassment of a putt rolling back to his feet by taking a one-shot lead on Friday after two rounds of the Sun City Challenge.
The “Goose” added a four-under 68 to his opening-round 69 at the sun-soaked Gary Player Country Club for a halfway total of 137 with Australian Robert Allenby, Argentine Angel Cabrera and Swede Henrik Stenson joint second.
Overnight leader Allenby fired a 70, Cabrera hit a 67 for the best round so far and holder Stenson struck a 68 for a two-shot improvement on his first 18 holes.
South African Tim Clark (72) and American Hunter Mahan (71) had higher scores than the opening round and were four shots adrift of Goosen in a 12-man invitational field.
Star attraction Rory McIlroy continued to struggle with a three-over 76 leaving him 12 shots off the pace.
Former Challenge champion and twice US Open winner Goosen birdied three of the first four holes and parred the next three before disaster struck at the 450m par-four eighth.
He left an uphill putt short, agonizingly watched the ball trickle back to his feet, and had settle for a bogey five although the damage was quickly repaired with another birdie at the ninth to turn three under.
Goosen was less impressive on a back nine that delivered two birdies and one bogey as he scrambled to save par several times, but was out of luck at the final hole with a long putt lipping the cup.
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