Irish envoys thrive in Emirates

When Paul McGinley spoke of a sprint on Thursday afternoon, with the effects of a heavy cold only adding to the downbeat nature, the words were like those of a man who had been left at the start when the pistol was fired.

Yesterday, after a second round 64 which featured six birdies and an eagle that lifted him to the 10-under-par 134 mark, and into a share of fourth place, the game of catch-up was on in earnest.

"I'm not making up the numbers now. If I can keep playing the way I'm playing and holing a few putts, you never know what's going to happen," remarked McGinley.

McGinley attributed his change in fortune to the putter. In the first round, he had 31 putts; in yesterday's second round, he brought it down to 28.

"That's the best I've putted for three or four months," he said, "so I'm really looking forward to the weekend now."

Indeed, it promises to be a big weekend with everything to play for. Apart from the title and #265,000 to the winner, McGinley is chasing a personal goal.

Currently ranked 72nd in the world, a victory here - with so many world rankings points on offer - would propel him into the top 50 and, with it, earn him an invitation to the US Masters at Augusta, the only major he has yet to play.

While acknowledging that it will be a tall order to overhaul a pacesetter like Tiger Woods, especially "with the soft, receptive greens making scoring so red hot", as he put it, McGinley was a transformed man.

"Yesterday I was like a runner competing in a 5,000 metres race; today it was more like a competitor in a 100 metres race." It was certainly a flying start. McGinley birdied the first three holes, the longest putt being from eight feet at the first, and then birdied the fifth, this time sinking a 10-footer after a nineiron approach.

Four birdies in five holes and on a roll, McGinley had to wait until the ninth to get his next. There, he hit a seven-iron approach that almost pitched into the hole. He tapped in the 12-inch putt to turn in 30 strokes, five-under-par for the day.

At the 10th, his day got even better when his five-wood approach on the par five finished 10 feet from the hole. He sank the eagle putt and, suddenly, was into the thick of the hunt.

Although the next seven holes were a touch frustrating, when he gave himself a number of birdie chances but failed to take any of them, he finished off with an eight-footer for birdie at the last to join Brian Davis in a tie for fourth place on 134.

McGinley's round equalled that of Tiger Woods as the best of the second round, and moved him into the position as leading Irish challenger. Padraig Harrington added a 69 for nine-under-par 135, while Eamonn Darcy continued his fine form with a 67 to join him on that mark.

Des Smyth, who had the distinction of birdieing all four par fives, had a second successive 69 for 138, and Darren Clarke's 69 for 140 meant he survived the cut with a shot to spare. However, Ronan Rafferty and David Higgins failed to make it into the weekend.

Darcy remains a touch surprised by his seasonal debut, given a preparation period that meant he played very little golf due to a tennis elbow complaint. "I'm carrying on where I left off at the end of last year. But, when you think that some guys here are into their sixth week of tournament play, I'm surprising myself at how well I'm performing."

The day didn't start off too well. He put his drive into the water at the second hole and did well to escape with a bogey five. By the turn, though, Darcy had got to one-under-par for the day, thanks to a 10-foot birdie on the eighth, and he really came to life on the homeward run.

It's an indication of his good approach play that the longest of four birdies on the back nine came at the 10th, where he sank another 10-footer. "I'm playing tidy golf and getting the ball close, which is a help," said Darcy.

Clarke's round threatened to burst into life with back-to-back birdies at the second and third, and another at the sixth to turn in 32. The game went cold on the homeward run, however. He opted to use a three-wood off the tee at the 13th but pulled it into a bunker and finished with a bogey six, and his only consolation over the closing stretch came at the 15th, where he hit a six-iron approach to 10 feet and sank the putt.