GOLF: The golfing gods have a curious way of determining fate. On a crazy old Irish weather day when, it seemed, all four seasons were squeezed into the available daylight hours, Ernie Els - a player subjected to more heartbreak this season than any other - played with such an air of invincibility in yesterday's second round of the $7 million American Express championship that it was only right and proper that he ended it as the new leader.

In needing only 64 strokes to conquer the Mount Juliet course, the South African - who had a chance to win all four majors this season but finished up with none - reached the midway stage in 11-under-par 133, two shots clear of his closest rivals.

That one of them should be Todd Hamilton, the man who beat him in a play-off for the British Open, simply added to the intrigue. Although Els remarked: "This is a different tournament. Whatever happens, happens."

If this were a movie script, then Els, who until recently was totally dejected by the various turns of events in the different majors this year, would likely be asked to go head-to-head with his adversary in a top-of-the-billing duel over the Co Kilkenny landscape.

But it isn't, and instead Els will play in the final two-ball of today's third round with Miguel Angel Jimenez - who finished birdie-eagle-par for a 68 for 135 - while Hamilton tees off in the penultimate pairing alongside Justin Leonard.

Of course, with the race just half-run, the list of potential winners stretches beyond these few. Of the 68 players in the field, 42 managed to reach the 36-hole mark under par and, of them, 13 are within five shots of Els.

Among them are Tiger Woods, the world's number two, and Padraig Harrington - both on 138 - with the Dubliner hoping that a putter that has been as cold as the weather will transform into a hotter commodity over the weekend.

Harrington carded a second successive 69 but was mystified by his failure to hole any putt over eight feet.

"You can't shoot low numbers unless you hole some putts. When you're not seeing putts going into the hole you start to get tentative with your stroke. You just have to be patient. When they do start going in, they keep going in. You can see yourself doing no wrong," said the Dubliner of his hopes for the final two rounds.

If there is to be an Irish winner, Harrington will carry most expectations. Graeme McDowell came home in 32 for a 70 that moved him to one-under-par 143, the same mark as Darren Clarke, but Paul McGinley couldn't overcome a disastrous start that had him four-over after three holes. In the end, McGinley signed for a 75 to be on 145 and well off the pace.

For his part, Woods didn't appear to be as discomfited by his back injury as he was in the first round. He signed for a 70 that could have been much better as he uncharacteristically incurred two three-putts in the space of three holes - on the 10th and 12th - and then missed a short putt to bogey the 18th.

Of the injury, he remarked: "I've just got to play day by day. All it takes is for this thing to start spasming again. Hopefully it won't."

On a day when players were subjected to periods of sunny spells and intermittent downpours, they were forced to parade a fashion sense that varied between polo shirts and wetsuits.

For Els, though, the conditions proved to be little more than a nuisance as he constructed a superb round that was kick-started by four birdies over the opening four holes.

Els, the world's number three, has gone a long, long time - for him - without a tournament win. In fact, he last tasted success in the Memorial Tournament on the US Tour in late May and has borne the scars of four top-10 finishes in the majors this season, including runner-up places at the Masters and the British Open.

Yesterday he delayed venturing out on to the range for his pre-round routine until as late as conceivably possible because of the heavy rain. Rather than warming up for over an hour, as would be customary, Els only appeared on the range half an hour before his scheduled tee time. It didn't affect him at all. He steamrolled his way to the top of the leaderboard with four straight birdies on the way to turning in 31.

"I didn't know what to expect, I've still got a bit of rust on my game. I wanted to try and get myself into position, to take every shot as they came," he claimed. "I putted well but, I mean, 64 in these conditions is one of the better rounds I've played this year, definitely."

In fact, before he got around to teeing off, Els took a look at the electronic scoreboard on the range and found inspiration from what Fred Couples was doing.

"It was raining and blowing and I felt that at least somebody had got a good number and that gave us hope," said Els, who currently heads the Volvo Order of Merit.

Yet, incredibly, Els has gone four months since savouring his last tournament win. Of his four close calls in the majors, he preferred to take a positive spin rather than the negative vibes he had held until quite recently. "In three of the four, I was there right until the death. I've got to feel encouraged about that . . . I've had two weeks off and some time to reflect. I've just got to dedicate myself and get back into the swing of things, and I'm busy doing that.

"I've put myself in position. I'm leading at the moment but leading right now doesn't mean very much. We've got a lot of golf to play and I've a lot of birdies to make."

11 under: Ernie Els (SA)

9 under: Todd Hamilton (US) Miguel A Jimenez (Spa)

8 under: Justin Leonard (US)

7 under: Lee Westwood (Eng) Retief Goosen (SA)

Thomas Bjorn (Den)

Steve Flesch (US)

6 under: Brad Faxon (US)

Padraig Harrington (Irl)

Angel Cabrera (Arg)

David Howell

Tiger Woods (US)

Luke Donald (Eng)

5 under: Peter Lonard (Aus)

Zach Johnson (US)

Sergio Garcia (Spa)