McGinley maintains his challenge

Ireland's Paul McGinley maintained his challenge in the Dubai Desert Classic yesterday, shooting a second round 71 to put him in joint second place with Australian Wayne Riley and Scot Peter Downie, who is club professional at the Dubai Creek course. All three are on six under par, one shot behind England's David Howell.

The Dubliner, who was joint first round leader with Welshman Phil Price after his opening 67, was three shots clear at one stage yesterday but bogeys at the par five 13th and par four 18th cost him the outright lead. Afterwards McGinley said: "If I'm to compete this weekend I can't afford to be in the rough as much as I was today. I missed five fairways and they cost me three shots. "I played the same routine, same game plan. Every chance I have to take out the driver, I will. My strength is that I hit it pretty straight, although I'll have to hit it straighter if I am going to compete over the weekend. I don't hit the ball long enough to be able to take out a two iron like Monty does."

McGinley carded four birdies, two on the front nine plus consecutive birdies at the 10th and 11th on the way home for a 138 halfway total.

"Obviously the rough is extremely penal," he said. "I hit so-so shots at the 13th and 18th and they cost me. They were no more than two feet off the fairway but I couldn't advance it 50 yards. I didn't really hit a bad shot at the 18th and I made a five. The fairway narrows at 280 yards and it rolls off. If it does, that's the penalty you pay."

Darren Clarke, who followed his opening 70 with a 73 for a 143 total, is still in contention but is six shots behind the leader. Eamonn Darcy, who added a 74 to his opening 71 for 145, is the only other Irish player to make the cut.

Padraig Harrington shot a four over par 76 and missed the 147 cut by just one stroke. John McHenry was 10 shots shy of the cutoff after a 78 while Phillip Walton will also have a quiet weekend after a second successive 79. Des Smyth retired from the tournament with a back complaint on his 46th birthday.

England's Nick Faldo crashed out again as his compatriot Howell stepped up his bid for a first European Tour victory. Howell, the 23-year-old from Swindon, followed up his opening 69 with a six-birdie 68 to reach halfway on the seven under par mark of 137.

Faldo, meanwhile, joined Ian Woosnam, Seve Ballesteros and Justin Rose on the sidelines, his five over par total of 149 sending him to his second early exit in three starts this year.

Now the former world number one must wait to see if he has qualified for a crack at current number one Tiger Woods in the £3 million Andersen Consulting world match play championship in California in two weeks time.

Faldo, whose pitch into water at the 305-yard seventh (his 16th) sealed his fate, is 65th in the current world rankings, but could be called into the 64-man event if he holds that position after the weekend and Jumbo Ozaki, as is expected, withdraws. "Plan B - see you in Qatar," said the 41-year-old, fearing the worst. Faldo wanted to skip next week's Qatar Masters to prepare for San Diego.

Scot Andrew Coltart is among those who hold Faldo's fate in their hands. Coltart needs a top five finish on Sunday and at three under is joint 20th with two rounds to go.

While Faldo shot a 74 and missed the cut by three, Woosnam's 73 for seven over was five too many and Ballesteros's two 78s left him on 12 over. But that was nothing compared to Rose's sorry story. An 83 with three sevens represented the 18-year-old Hampshire player's worst round as a professional and he has now failed to qualify in all his 13 tournaments since his fourth place in the Open as an amateur last July.

"That was one of the hardest days I've had in golf," said the teenager, who on 17 over par had only two of the 132-strong field behind him. "I just didn't know where the next shot was going. My mind was gone and it became a mission just to hole a three-foot putt."

Having failed to come through the tour qualifying school last November, Rose has taken a series of blows to his confidence.