GOLF Dubai Classic: Miguel Angel Jimenez upstaged tournament favourite Ernie Els to take a two-shot lead in the Dubai Desert Classic second round yesterday.
Jimenez, the European Tour's form player last year with five victories, fired a sparkling seven-under-par 65 to overhaul overnight leader Els at the Emirates Golf Club yesterday.
Damien McGrane and Paul McGinley were the only Irish players to make the cut. McGrane is eight shots off the pace on 140 after a second round of 69 while McGinley is on three-under-par 141 after a 71.
Gary Murphy on 145 after a 70 and Peter Lawrie - 146 after a 71 - both missed the cut which came at level par 144.
Jimenez reeled off eight birdies and a solitary bogey, at the par-four ninth, his final hole, to complete a hot but relatively calm day at 12-under 132.
South African Els, aiming this week for an unprecedented third Desert Classic crown, had to settle for second place after adding a flawless 68 to his first-round 66.
Jimenez, who opened with a 67, surged to the top of the leaderboard with a run of four birdies in the first six holes.
He then picked up a further four shots, including a chip-in for birdie at the par-three seventh, before stumbling at the last where he failed to get up and down from greenside rough.
"I hit the ball very well all day and just spoiled it with that bogey," said the Spaniard. "I hope I can keep my game the way it is at the moment for the rest of the week."
Els, one ahead of the field overnight, reeled off four birdies to keep himself in the hunt for his first title of the year.
The world number three, who set the course record with a 61 on his way to victory in 1994, was frustrated, though, with the accuracy of some his approach shots.
"I felt like I really struck the ball well but I just couldn't quite get my iron shots close enough and I burned a lot of edges," he said.
"But I'm playing good golf and I'm right where I want to be going into the weekend."
Leading the chasing pack at nine under after matching Jimenez for the week's best round was Stephen Dodd, winner of the European Tour's season-opening China Open last November.
A further two strokes behind in a share of fourth were 1996 winner Colin Montgomerie (67), 2001 champion Thomas Bjorn (68) and South Africa's James Kingston (68).
Seven-times European number one Montgomerie, who is determined to book a place at next month's US Masters with a high finish in Dubai, was precise about his goal over the weekend.
"Two more 67s, that's what I need to gain some more ranking points," said the 41-year-old Scot, world-ranked 63 at the start of the week.
Montgomerie needs to climb another 13 spots in the rankings by the end of this month to book his place at Augusta.
It was not a good day, however, for three former British Open champions Greg Norman, Mark O'Meara and Paul Lawrie, who all missed the cut.
Australian Norman was forced to withdraw before the start of the second round, having suffered a back injury trying to play a shot from the rough during his opening 74 on Thursday.
