GOLF: Ernie Els fired a sensational eagle on the final hole to lie just one shot off the lead at the halfway stage of the £1 million Dubai Desert Classic.
Els, seeking back-to-back victories after winning his first USPGA Tour title for more than 18 months on Sunday, carded a second consecutive 68 at Emirates Golf Club for an eight-under-par total.
Korea's Charlie Wi was the surprise leader after adding a 67 to his opening 68, with Els alone in second and Englishman John Bickerton and Ryder Cup Swede Niclas Fasth another shot back in joint fourth.
Els hooked his tee shot on the 18th into a tree-lined sandy waste area left of the fairway. He had more than 200 yards left to reach the green with a bushy tree partially in the way, but smashed an amazing four-iron shot to within 35 feet of the flag. "It's got to be in the top three best shots I've ever hit," he said.
Wi earlier fired a hat-trick of birdies on the front nine and went one better with four in a row coming home to delight his Korean fan club. The Los Angeles-based 30-year-old was a contemporary of Tiger Woods at college in America.
Amateur Michael Hoey was the best of the Irish: he shot a roller-coaster 68 which contained seven birdies and three bogeys to lie seven shots off the lead on 142.
Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke are both three shots further back. Harrington's round came apart when he had four consecutive bogeys from the the eighth, and though he saved a shot with a birdie at the 13th, he ended with a disappointing 75.
Clarke, who shot a 73, began with a hat-trick of birdies from the first but ran up a double-bogey seven on the par-five 18th, his approach almost spinning back into the water and coming to rest on the stone wall surrounding the lake.
Des Smyth, Ronan Rafferty and Eamonn Darcy ended their participation by missing the cut - as did Colin Montgomerie, who had a 79 yesterday.
Overnight joint-leader Thomas Bjorn, the defending champion, was four under after a 73, while Nick Faldo carded a 73 to finish one over, alongside playing partner Clarke.
SECOND-ROUND SCORES
(Brit unless stated, Irish in bold, par 72)
(x) denotes amateurs
135 - C Wi (Kor) 68 67
136 - E Els (Rsa) 68 68
137 - J Bickerton 69 68, N Fasth (Swe) 68 69
138 - R Gonzalez (Arg) 71 67
139 - S Torrance 68 71, P Broadhurst 69 70, S Dyson 71 68
140 - T Dier (Ger) 72 68, T Bjorn (Den) 67 73, A Forsbrand (Swe) 74 66, A Wall 70 70, DPark 70 70, I Poulter 71 69, G Havret (Fra) 69 71
141 - B Davis 71 70, O Karlsson (Swe) 68 73, S Struver (Ger) 69 72, G Owen 71 70, A Oldcorn 75 66, I Woosnam 73 68, G Evans 70 71, JM Lara (Spa) 71 70
142 - N Dougherty 71 71, M Gronberg (Swe) 72 70, P Fulke (Swe) 69 73, C Rodiles (Spa) 72 70, R Bland 70 72, R Green (Aus) 70 72, R Jacquelin (Fra) 71 71, M Olander (Swe) 70 72, (x) M Hoey 74 68
143 - S Hansen (Den) 71 72, C Pettersson (Swe) 70 73, L Parsons (Aus) 72 71, D Carter 73 70, C Hanell (Swe) 72 71, D Howell 74 69, J Rose 72 71, R Karlsson (Swe) 67 76
144 - R Wessels (Rsa) 75 69, Bradley Dredge 74 70, M Foster 72 72, S Webster 74 70, P Price 73 71, T Jaidee (Tha) 74 70, A Hansen (Den) 72 72, J Spence 72 72, T Immelman (Rsa) 72 72, I Hutchings (Rsa) 73 71, E Romero (Arg) 70 74, S Kjeldsen (Den) 74 70, J Hugo (Rsa) 73 71, J Sandelin (Swe) 71 73, D Botes (Rsa) 71 73, H Bjornstad (Nor) 72 72, Andrew Pitts (USA) 73 71, Stephen Scahill (Nzl) 70 74
145 - I Garrido (Spa) 73 72, P Baker 74 71, F Jacobson (Swe) 75 70, G Emerson 74 71, P Harrington 70 75, R Muntz (Ned) 70 75, S Gardiner (Aus) 72 73, A Scott (Aus) 73 72, D Clarke 72 73, N Faldo 72 73
146 - R Russell 74 72, A Butterfield 70 76, T Gillis (US) 75 71, R Chapman 73 73, P Eales 72 74, J Skold (Swe) 72 74, A Coltart 73 73, B Lane 73 73, M Brier (Aut) 72 74, K Eriksson (Swe) 72 74, S Dodd 70 76, M Farry (Fra) 73 73, C Pottier (Fra) 73 73.
MISSED THE CUT (selected): 147 - R Rafferty 72 75, E Darcy 77 70, C Rocca (Ita) 72 75, 150 - C Montgomerie 71 79, 151 - P Lawrie 77 74, S Ballesteros (Spa) 76 75, D Smyth 74 77, 152 - M O'Meara (US) 75 77
