Three-times champion Ernie Els was breathing down the neck of surprise leader Ross Fisher of Britain when the Dubai Desert Classic second round was completed on Saturday morning.
The 37-year-old South African, two strokes adrift when fading light forced him off the course with four holes to play on Friday, finished with three pars and a birdie four at the last to record a seven-under 65 and a 13-under total of 131.
Els, Dubai champion in 2005, 2002 and 1994, is bidding to become the first player to win the title four times.
The 26-year-old Fisher, in only his second season on the European Tour, stole the show at the Emirates Golf Club on Friday with his second successive 65.
Henrik Stenson, who holed the winning putt for Europe at last year’s Ryder Cup, was third on 12-under.
The big-hitting Swede, playing in the same group as Els, also had to set his alarm clock early for an 7.45am start and it paid handsome dividends.
A birdie hat-trick to the 18th gave Stenson an eight-under 64, the lowest round of the week. The Swede also collected six birdies and one bogey on Friday.
Els was fortunate to birdie the 18th after his second shot landed six feet from the left edge of the water in front of the green.
”I was lucky to make four on the last,” he told reporters. ”I hit it fat out of the desert and thank goodness I pulled it a little bit otherwise it was definitely wet.
”I am in a good position going into the last two rounds. I have played as good as I could over the first two, I just have to keep going.”
Sharing fourth place on 10-under were Britain Graeme McDowell, Peter Hanson of Sweden and India’s Jyoti Randhawa.
World number one Tiger Woods, who carded a 67 on Friday, was back on nine-under. – Reuters