RAMSAY, McILROY STILL IN CONTENTION

STENSON HALFWAY LEADER AT 10 

UNDER PAR IN DUBAI

FROM THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH

Defending champion Henrik Stenson, pictured, felt like he had "hit the wall" at the end of a long season but the Swede still managed to claim the halfway lead in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai today.
Stenson, whose win at Jumeirah Golf Estates 12 months ago ensured he became the first man to win the Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup in the same year, added a second round of 66 to his opening 68 to finish the day at 10-under-par 134.
But the world number four has Open and US PGA champion Rory McIlroy just two shots behind alongside Aberdeen's Richie Ramsay and England's Danny Willett, with Irishman Shane Lowry - aided by a hole-in-one on the 13th - and former US Open champion Justin Rose among a five-strong group another stroke back. "There's still a lot of golf to play and I'm really happy with how I closed this round," said Stenson, who was 25 under par in winning by six shots last year.
"Around the 12th hole I felt like I was running out of steam. It was difficult mentally from there on. I had to really focus hard and drag myself over the finish line.
"It's hot and sticky and even though I'm drinking well and getting plenty of energy, I just felt like I hit the wall on 12. If it's one or two holes left, you normally feel like, 'okay, I can hang on'. But it was a bit of an uphill (struggle) from there. I managed to finish in good style anyway so I'm pleased with that."
Playing his first tournament after a six-week lay-off, McIlroy could only add a scrappy 70 to his flawless opening 66, carding four birdies, two bogeys and a par on the seventh after a mis-hit second shot with a five wood which he described as "a fat, low, duck-hook runner that was not intentional".
The world number one recovered from the shock of hitting that shot like a high handicapper and a bogey on the 12th with birdies on the 14th and 15th, only to three-putt the 16th and drive into the water on the last.
"I'm in a good position and there is a lot of golf left," McIlroy added. "I've definitely been in worse positions after two rounds and still won.
"It could have been worse but it probably could have been a little better. I definitely didn't have it like I did yesterday. I had to dig in a little bit so hopefully that's the bad one out of the way and I have 36 holes now to make some ground up on Henrik.
"Henrik's very comfortable on this golf course obviously. I can't let him get too far ahead tomorrow. I have to get off to a fast start and try and put a bit of pressure on him. Hopefully I can do that."
Rose had been four over par for his first six holes on Thursday and was still four over after 10, but played the remaining eight holes in five under and carried on where he left off on Friday with seven birdies and one bogey in a 66.
The 34-year-old is making something of a habit of such performances, dropping four shots in his first four holes of the BMW Masters at the start of the month before battling back to eventually finish just one shot outside the three-man play-off won by Germany's Marcel Siem.

"I won the US Open from four over after 11 holes as well," said Rose, whose solitary bogey came when he drove into the creek which runs through the middle of the fairway on the 18th.

"My caddie and I were joking about putting an extra club in my bag for the first two holes [earning a four-shot penalty] just to get it over with, but I don't like giving everyone such a big head-start."

Lowry's hole-in-one, from 183 yards with a six iron, was his first on the European Tour and took him just one off the lead at the time, but the world number 52 was unable to pick up any further shots on the last five holes.

"It was a beautiful shot, a perfect number for my six iron," said Lowry, who needs a good finish to move into the world's top 50 and secure his place in next year's Masters.

"It's my first in tournament play and only my second ever so it was pretty exciting. It was hard to go on and play the next hole after that."

Speaking about his round of 71 after starting the day tied for the lead with McIlroy, Lowry added: "I am still in the tournament and I suppose if you had given me that on Thursday I would have taken it."
Richie Ramsay said: “That was really pleasing - 69 is a good score.  That nice little eagle on 14 got me going.  It was tricky out there at times and the greens were firming up, so you couldn't go for every flag.  
"You had to be selective about when to be aggressive and when to be patient, and I did that well. But the most important thing, for the second day in a row, was that my attitude was really good.  I’m really pleased with that and have some good friends and family out there watching, so it was nice to play well while they are out watching.”

SECOND-ROUND SCORES
Par 144 (2x72)
134 H Stenson (Swe) 68 66
136 R Ramsay  (Sco) 67 69, D Willett  (Eng) 69 67, R McIlroy  (Nir) 66 70
137 S Lowry  (Irl) 66 71, K Broberg (Swe) 70 67, T Olesen (Den) 67 70, J Rose (Eng) 71 66, R Cabrera-Bello (Esp) 73 64
138 T Hatton (Eng) 70 68, D Howell (Eng) 71 67
139 H Otto (RSA) 71 68, R Karlsson (Swe) 71 68, B Grace  (RSA) 72 67, J Luiten (Ned) 70 69, V Dubuisson  (Fra) 71 68
140 G Coetzee (RSA) 70 70, P Larrazábal (Esp) 71 69, D Fichardt (RSA) 72 68, S Gallacher (Sco) 72 68, T Bjørn (Den) 71 69, L Oosthuizen  (RSA) 69 71
141 L Westwood (Eng) 70 71, R Wattel  (Fra) 71 70, M Kaymer (Ger) 72 69
142 B Wiesberger  (Aut) 72 70, A Sullivan (Eng) 73 69, F Molinari (Ita) 73 69, G McDowell  (Nir) 72 70, E Els (RSA) 75 67, L Donald  (Eng) 76 66, M Warren (Sco) 71 71, R Fisher (Eng) 69 73, M Siem  (Ger) 76 66, J Donaldson (Wal) 72 70, T Aiken (RSA) 76 66, O Fisher  (Eng) 72 70, S Garcia  (Esp) 73 69
143 A Levy (Fra) 71 72, E Molinari  (Ita) 69 74, T Fleetwood  (Eng) 69 74, C Schwartzel  (RSA) 72 71, S Dyson  (Eng) 73 70, E Grillo (Arg) 68 75,
144 W Ormsby (Aus) 73 71, T Jaidee (Tha) 72 72, M Jiménez (Esp) 71 73, J Blixt  (Swe) 70 74, I Poulter (Eng) 75 69,
145 F Zanotti (Par) 73 72, N Colsaerts  (Bel) 73 72, R Sterne  (RSA) 71 74, E Pepperell (Eng) 76 69
146 B Koepka  (USA) 78 68
147 M Manassero (Ita) 75 72, O Wilson (Eng) 75 72,
149 M Baldwin (Eng) 75 74
150 M Ilonen  (Fin) 74 76
151 M Hoey  (Nir) 73 78, D Lipsky (USA) 76 75