'Fab Four' make up lost ground; Garcia, Molinari lead

Dubai - Race to Dubai leader Stenson vaulted 16 spots, while his closest challenger Willett jumped seven places to be reunited at tied 17th

After a day of attrition, a bit of normalcy was restored with the 'Fab Four' making up lost ground but it still was an interesting mix of players in the top 10 as well as a new leader, or rather leaders, at the top of the leaderboard as the DP World Tour Championship took the turn.
As Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Italian Francesco Molinari were tied for the lead at the halfway stage at the Earth Course of the Jumeirah Golf Estates on Friday, Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson vaulted 16 spots, while his closest challenger Danny Willett jumped seven places to be reunited at tied 17th.
Stenson's Swedish compatriot Alex Noren too scaled the leaderboard, 10 spots up to be tied 14th. Meanwhile, world No.2 Rory McIlroy too exorcised the demons of Thursday. The Northern Irishman, a two-time winner of the DP World Tour Championship, was the biggest gainer among the Race to Dubai contenders, leapfrogging 26 places to be tied 29th.
Stenson, who had shot a par round on Thursday, had four birdies and a bogey in his round of 69 to be three-under, six shots adrift of the leaders Garcia and Molinari, who both shot identical rounds of 67 on the day for an overall nine-under 135.
Stenson started with pars on the first and second before knocking off two birdies on the trot on the third and fourth. But despite a bogey on the par-4 12th as well as his golf ball hitting a lady spectator on the 13th, the world No.4 didn't let that upset his concentration as he birdied the par-4 15th.
A birdie on the par-five 18th was a good end to the round for Stenson.
Englishman Willett too had four birdies but there were two bogeys as well in his round of two-under 70. Willett ended the halfway stage with three-under.
Willett began his round in promising fashion with a birdie on the very first hole and then went on to birdie the third. But, bogeys on the fifth and seventh, set Willett back a little bit. Willett, though recovered with birdies on the 14th and 16th.
Noren, meanwhile, carded a three-under for the day for an overall four-under. The Swede had five birdies but also had two bogeys like Willett.
McIlroy, overnight on three-over after his wild adventure on the Earth Course, got back into the flow with a four-under 68 for an overall one-under. The 27-year-old reeled off six birdies, with four coming on the front nine alone. But he did have two bogeys, also on the front nine.
james@khaleejtimes.com