Westwood grabs two-shot lead in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sports Network) - Lee Westwood birdied two of the last three holes Friday en route to a three-under 69 and a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the inaugural Dubai World Championship.
Westwood completed 36 holes at nine-under 135.
The Englishman could win the season-long Race to Dubai with a victory this week. Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher can also win the bonus money from that race.
McIlroy posted back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15 to fall out of the lead. He parred the final three holes to also shoot 69. He finished two rounds at seven-under-par 137.
He was joined in second place by first-round leader Robert Allenby (72), Ross McGowan (66), Padraig Harrington (69), Louis Oosthuizen (66) and Camilo Villegas (71).
Kaymer posted his second straight 71 and is tied for 24th at two-under-par 142, while Fisher also posted a 71 Friday and he shares 40th at even-par 144.
Westwood got off to a quick start with birdies on the first two holes on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. That moved him into the lead at minus- eight.
After five straight pars, the Englishman had a three-foot par putt lip out on No. 8. The dropped shot left him at minus-seven, two strokes behind McIlroy.
McIlory also birdied one and two. He knocked his second shot to the par-five seventh inside two feet and tapped in for eagle to grab a share of the lead at eight-under.
McIlory moved to minus-nine with a nine-foot birdie putt on the ninth.
As Westwood parred seven in a row from the ninth, McIlroy and Harrington battled for the lead.
Harrington flew into contention with a remarkable run of golf. After a birdie on two and bogeys at four and five, Harrington was five shots behind Westwood.
The Irishman made that deficit up in no time. He made eagle on the seventh, then birdied three in a row from the eighth to get within one of McIlroy.
McIlory played the back nine in two-over par with seven pars to go with bogeys on 14 and 15. Those bogeys dropped him behind Harrington.
"On one hand, I played very, very well, but on the other, I lost a couple of opportunities to put myself if not in the lead, in a commanding lead," stated McIlroy. "That's the way golf is and I still have 36 holes to rectify it." The Irishman birdied 14 to grab a one-stroke lead at nine-under. However, he found the water twice on the par-five 18th -- once off the tee and then again with his approach shot to the green. Harrington's closing double-bogey handed Westwood the lead.
Westwood climbed to eight-under with a seven-foot birdie putt on the 16th. He parred 17 and was alone in the lead after Harrington's late struggles. Westwood ran home a birdie putt from outside 25 feet at the last to push his lead to two after 36 holes.
"It felt like a good one to hole, a momentum putt for the weekend," Westwood said of his birdie at 18. "I played some lovely golf over the first two days, I hope to carry that on to the weekend. I'm two clear so obviously I'm doing the right things." Allenby fell out of the lead early with bogeys on one and four. He climbed back into a share of the lead thanks to birdies at the seventh, 10th and 11th. The Australian slipped back to minus-seven with a bogey on 13 before parring the last five holes.
McGowan posted a bogey-free 66 with two birdies on the front nine and four more around the turn. Oosthuizen notched five birdies, a bogey and an eagle in his round of 66. McGowan and Oosthuizen jumped from a tie for 22nd into a share of second.
As for the Race to Dubai, Westwood will capture that title with a win in this event.
He could also claim the Race with a second-place finish as long as McIlroy doesn't tie him for second and Kaymer doesn't win this title.
McIlroy can win the Race to Dubai regardless of his finish position, if Westwood is outside the top seven, Kaymer the top four and Fisher the top two. If McIlroy wins the Race to Dubai, he would be the youngest Order of Merit champion since then 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros won it in 1976.
11/20 08:56:46 ET
