Asian Open: Sweden's Jarmo Sandelin, without a win in over two years, is perfectly placed to end his drought at the halfway stage of the BMW Asian Open in Taiwan.
Sandelin, whose last victory in the German Open in 1999 sealed his Ryder Cup place at Brookline, carded a 66 for a six-under-par total of 138 at Ta Shee. It gave the extrovert 34-year-old a one-shot lead over the field as scoring conditions improved vastly with the strong wind that sent scores soaring on Thursday easing considerably.
Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez carded a 69 to lie one shot behind on five under with another Swede Carl Pettersson another stroke adrift following a 68 alongside two of the pre-tournament favourites, former Masters champions Vijay Singh and Jose Maria Olazabal.
Sandelin's round could have been even better as he came within inches of an albatross on the par five sixth and a hole-in-one on the 18th that would have won him a luxury car from the tournament sponsors.
"When I saw the ball in the air I said: 'Yes, come to me,' " Sandelin said. "I was so close to my car."
Olazabal credited a longed-for improvement in his driving for his display after adding a second consecutive 70 with three birdies and just one bogey.
"Even though it's a fraction late it's better late than never!" said Olazabal, who consulted coach Pete Cowen at the Volvo Masters after his caddie urged him to seek help.
"It's a combination of what Pete said and what I have been working on all year long, widening the backswing and opening the clubface a little. It's worked these two days and, hopefully, it will from now on. That's what I'm praying for."
Singh, meanwhile, is seeking a hat-trick of victories in Asia this season, but the first with regular caddie Paul Desori.
Australian Open: World number four Ernie Els conquered his most feared holes but stumbled over the easy pickings at The Grand on Australia's Gold Coast to trail leader Scott Laycock by a stroke after the second round of the Australian Open.
Laycock, who plays on the Japan Tour, carded a second round five-under 66 for a seven-under 135 halfway lead following a first day 69.
South African Els, who held a joint first round lead with Rod Pampling following a 66, shot a 70 for a 136 score, the same total as Geoff Ogilvy, who fired an impressive second round 65.
Pampling led the tournament at nine-under after nine holes but fell away to finish with a second round 70. However, he is also only one off the pace.
Els, a dual US Open champion, struck trouble on the relatively easy par-four seventh and par-three eighth for consecutive bogeys to fall back to three-under. Two birdies and a bogey followed before the real drama unfolded.
Els has not disguised his apprehension of holes 12, 13 and 17, but that only appeared to spur him to greater heights.
He eagled the 472m par-five 12th, a hole that provides an obstacle of trees on the middle of the fairway. A six-iron set up the eagle chance and he gleefully accepted the long putt.
Els followed that with a birdie three at the next hole which also has a cluster of trees on the fairway. He also grabbed a birdie at the 493m par-five 17th.
But the back nine was interspersed with some moments of poor hitting, which Els admitted was due to a lack of concentration.
This resulted in bogeys on the par-three 14th and the par-four 15th. And to complete a Jekyll and Hyde round, the 32-year-old missed a six foot putt on the final hole to finish with a bogey and spurn the chance to share the lead.
Details in SPORTS ROUND-UP
