SUN CITY, December 2, 2011 (AFP) - Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland brushed aside a back-nine double-bogey seven to birdie the last hole on Friday and take a one-stroke halfway lead in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The gritty 2010 US Open champion carded a five-under-par 67 -- the lowest second-round score at the 7162-metre Gary Player Country Club -- in hot, partly cloudy conditions to lead by a single shot from four pursuers.
American Jason Dufner (68), Swede Robert Karlsson (69), German world number four Martin Kaymer (68) and English world number three Lee Westwood (70) share second place.
Simon Dyson (70) of England and South Korean Kim Kyung-Tae (70) are two shots further back on 140 and very much in contention for the $1.25 million first prize in the annual 12-man invitation event.
Dane Anders Hansen (69), world number one Luke Donald (72) of England, Charl Schwartzel (74) of South Africa and reigning British Open champion Darren Clarke (69) of Nothern Ireland are not out of the running either.
But late inclusion Francesco Molinari from Italy, who came in when a neck injury ruled out Dane Thomas Bjorn, seems in a hopeless position after firing a five-over 77 that left him 12 strokes behind McDowell.
The hole from hell for McDowell was 14 as he needed two shots to get out of the rough after being wayward off the tee and he also visited a bunker en route to the green, where two putts from six feet completed his misery.
But sinking a long birdie putt at the difficult dog-leg final hole brought a smile back to the resilient Ulsterman, who clinched vistory for Europe over the United States at Celtic Manor in the last Ryder Cup.
"I spoke to my coach on the phone last night and he noticed that my back-swing had become a little sloppy so we tidied that up today. I controlled the ball well in the second round," said McDowell.
"There is so much trouble lurking on this golf course -- you have got to be decisive off the tee because the second your ball starts veering off course, you get into big trouble."
Kaymer, whose 68 was the second lowest second-round score, said he was confident ahead of the final two rounds of the Challenge, won convinvingly last year by former world number one Westwood.
"I played well again today and dropped some good putts," he said.
"I am about 90 percent toward where I want to be as there is always room for improvement. This is a beautiful course and once Gary Player invites you, you do not say 'No'."
Clarke recovered from a two-over opening round to post a 69 and his second nine on day two did not contain a single par, with the Irishman posting six birdies, a bogey and two double-bogeys.
Reigning US Masters champion Schwartzel, the joint overnight leader with Westwood, is the lone South African in the field and never got going second time round as he struggled to a two-over-par 74.
Scores after second round of Nedbank Golf Challenge invitation tournament at par-72, 7162-metre Gary Player Country Club Friday:
137 - Graeme McDowell (NIR) 70-67
138 - Jason Dufner (USA) 70-68, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 69-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 70-68, Lee Westwood (ENG) 68-70
140 - Simon Dyson (ENG) 70-70, Kim Kyung-Tae (KOR) 70-70
141 - Anders Hansen (DEN) 72-69
142 - Luke Donald (ENG) 70-72, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 68-74
143 - Darren Clarke (NIR) 74-69
149 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 72-77