Els leads as Murphy cards superb 68

ERNIE ELS ignored the distractions of landing planes and ringing phones to justify his billing as pre-tournament favourite for the Caltex Masters.

Els fired an eagle and four birdies in his second-round 67 at Laguna National for an eight-under-par halfway total to remain firmly on course for a fourth consecutive victory.

The British Open champion, who won the Nedbank Challenge at the end of last year and the first two events on the US Tour this season, enjoyed a one-shot lead over defending champion Arjun Atwal of India, Atwal’s compatriot Jeev Milka Singh and Thailand-based Scot Simon Yates.