Woods hits classic form in the desert to inch clear

Sometimes the close-up view can be just a little too close, which probably helped explain why Thomas Bjorn - after playing what he termed "the best golf of my life" - looked almost punch-drunk as he walked off the 18th green at the Emirates Club yesterday. Two days of playing alongside Tiger Woods, with his incessant air of invincibility, can do that, even to world-class golfers. The sense of Groundhog Day continues, however. Today, Bjorn will have to partner Woods for a third successive time as he plays the role of chief pursuer to the world number one in a Dubai Desert Classic tournament that is getting hotter by the day, especially in terms of scoring.

Woods shot his second 64 of the tournament yesterday to reach the midway stage on 16-under-par 128, two shots clear of Bjorn, and, in the process, established a 36-hole record for the tournament.

"It looks like the two boys are having their own tournament," remarked Eamonn Darcy - one of five Irishmen who survived the cut in challenging positions - while studying the giant scoreboard by the lake on the finishing hole. And the two have been the dominant figures in an absorbing duel in the desert.

But the Irish contingent hasn't exactly backed off. Paul McGinley, in fact, equalled Woods' 64 yesterday to move to a share of fourth place, albeit six strokes behind the midway leader, while Darcy and Padraig Harrington go into the final two rounds just one shot further back.

Darren Clarke, still struggling to find tournament sharpness, and Des Smyth also survived the cut which came on three-under-par.

Harrington's problems in signing for a second round 69, which left him on nine-under-par 135, centred around his putting. "I hate saying it, but it's been a bit dodgy lately," he remarked. So much so, he spent a considerable amount of time working on his putting after the first round.

"I'm susceptible to pulling my putts a bit, a common fault due to decelerating on the putter," he added, "and it particularly affects left-to-right putts . . . and I seemed to have a lot of them today." The result was 33 putts compared to 30 in the opening round and a drop back to tied-sixth position, and a promise of more work on his putting. "It's something that usually happens a couple of times during a season, but I normally sort it out."

Ironically, there was no evidence of any problem with the putter on the 18th green when, after hitting a four-wood approach that finished fully 40 yards away on the putting surface that is shared with the ninth, he left it on the lip of the cup. And, yet, the choice of club for the approach shot to that finishing hole emphasised the huge advantage which Woods has on the rest of the field. While anyone brave enough to have a go for the green in two invariably opted for a fairway wood, Woods hit a five-iron over the back of the green.

"I was going in with a three-wood with my feet of the ground, and Tiger's going in with a five-iron?" said Bjorn with a shake of his head and bewilderment in his voice.

"I ran out of energy towards the end. It's been a tough two days. Tiger's a tough guy to play with and I just got tired and wasn't as focused towards the end as I had to be." Woods has certainly taken a liking to the course. In two days, he has taken just 52 putts - 25 in the first round, 27 yesterday - and has managed to keep any bogeys off his card.

"The greens are great, smooth and true," remarked Woods, who attributed some of his recent putting woes in the US to the poa annua greens on the courses on the West Coast. "Here they are true. You hit a putt on line and the ball doesn't play plinko. It hugs the ground, and it's just nice to see."

In general, though, Woods' game has been back to its best. Yesterday's round included eight birdies and, until the closing holes, he was matched almost hole-by-hole by Bjorn.

Indeed, Woods took the lead for the first time only at the 17th thanks to a birdie and, then, after playing that fiveiron approach to the back of the green at the last, he got down in two to stretch his lead over the Dane.

While Bjorn coped extremely well with the distractions of playing in the same match as Woods, it was a little different for European Order of Merit leader Pierre Fulke, who missed the cut by one shot.

"You've got to feel sorry for Pierre. He has been injured coming up to this tournament, then gets out with us and we're blitzing the course. Birdies were flying everywhere and he never got any momentum," said Bjorn.

That birdie blitz seems set to continue. And, not for the first time, the man that the rest of the field has to catch is Woods. It doesn't look like he is ready to let up just yet, which means someone will have to do something really special over the weekend to overhaul the world's best golfer.