Els back on track

Ernie Els finally looks to be over the massive disappointment of this year’s major championships.

A brilliant eight-under-par 64 at Mount Juliet in County Kilkenny has given the South African the halfway lead in the American Express world championship.

He is two ahead of Spanish Ryder Cup player Miguel Angel Jimenez and American Todd Hamilton, the man who delivered one of four crushing blows this season.

Pipped for the Masters by a spectacular finish from Phil Mickelson in April, Els was in the final group on the final day of the United States Open in June - but he collapsed to an 80.

Hamilton then beat him by one in a four-hole play-off for the Open at Royal Troon a month later, and in August Els missed the play-off for the US PGA by one shot after bogeying the last.

“I’ve had time to reflect and I’m fine now,” he said, after defying wind and rain to reach the 11-under-par mark of 133.

“I was despondent for a while, and there was a negative spin on the whole thing – but from a positive point of view I came close to winning four majors. In three of them I was in there right to the death.

“I’ve got to feel encouraged about what happened, but obviously being human and being an athlete you play to succeed and play to win.”

The chance to end Tiger Woods’ five-year reign as world number one always eluded him during the summer, and last month Vijay Singh was the one to do it.

Els has not lifted a title since the Memorial in Ohio at the end of May, but if he ends that barren run on Sunday he will relegate Woods to number three.

That is not to say Woods is out of the running for a third successive victory in the event. Finally responding to treatment on his bad back, he added a 70 to his incredible opening 68 – he was in pain throughout that – but a bogey at the last has left him five adrift.

Only joint 16th after his opening 69, Els did not know what to expect in the conditions and delayed going on the practice range until just half-an-hour before his tee-off time.

“I still had a little bit of rust in my game but I got off to a perfect start, and that’s one of the better rounds I’ve played this year. I’ve not had a low one for quite a while.”

Els resumed with four successive birdies and then made another from nearly 25 feet on the ninth to turn in 31.

An eight-footer at the long 10th followed – and after he missed the green at the next and bogeyed, there were three more birdies in a four-hole stretch starting at the 14th.

Hamilton had led by one overnight and, having battled for 40 holes with Els at Troon, he showed again what a quality player he is by not dropping a shot all day. But he also managed only three birdies – at the second, eighth and 10th.

Playing partner Jimenez, who lost a play-off to Woods in the event at Valderrama in 1999 and has four wins to his name this season, birdied the 16th and then eagled the 534-yard 17th with a 50-foot putt to climb into joint second place.

Justin Leonard lies fourth after his second 68, while Lee Westwood, Thomas Bjorn, Retief Goosen and left-handed American Steve Flesch share fifth spot - Westwood after mixing two birdies with two bogeys in the closing four holes.

Leonard had reason to be even more disappointed than Els at the PGA. He led by one on the final tee but bogeyed it and lost to Singh over the extra three holes.

Woods is joint ninth in a six-strong group which also contains three more of Europe’s cup heroes Padraig Harrington, David Howell and Luke Donald. Sergio Garcia, however, fell from one behind to six back with a 72, being among a number of players to go in the lake at the short third for a double-bogey five.

Conditions were at the worst for the early starters, and of the first 42 players only Fred Couples, Brad Faxon and Davis Love broke 70 – Couples with a superb 67.

Harrington followed with his second successive 69 – but by then he was being totally overshadowed by Els.

“He’s going berserk,” observed the Dubliner.

Harrington knows what he has to improve to catch him.

“I’ve made one eight-footer in two days,” he said.

He is still in with a good chance, but Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley each dropped three and four strokes in the first three holes respectively as they dropped 10 and 12 behind.

Scores after the second round of the World Golf Championships-American Express Championship at Mount Juliet Conrad, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland

(Gbr and Irl unless stated, par 72):

133 Ernie Els (Rsa) 69 64

135 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 68, Todd Hamilton (USA) 66 69

136 Justin Leonard (USA) 68 68

137 Lee Westwood 68 69, Retief Goosen (Rsa) 68 69, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 68 69, Steve Flesch (USA) 67 70

138 Brad Faxon (USA) 70 68, Padraig Harrington 69 69, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 69 69, David Howell 69 69, Tiger Woods (USA) 68 70, Luke Donald 67 71

139 Peter Lonard (Aus) 69 70, Zach Johnson (USA) 68 71, Sergio Garcia (Spa) 67 72

140 Fred Couples (USA) 73 67, Shigeki Maruyama (Jpn) 70 70, Jim Furyk (USA) 70 70, Scott Drummond 69 71

141 Bob Tway (USA) 71 70, Rory Sabbatini (Rsa) 71 70, Carlos Franco (Par) 69 72, Barry Lane 69 72, Nick O’Hern (Aus) 68 73, Adam Scott (Aus) 67 74, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 67 74

142 Paul Casey 72 70, Richard Green (Aus) 72 70, Trevor Immelman (Rsa) 71 71, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 71 71, Desvonde Botes (Rsa) 70 72, Jerry Kelly (USA) 69 73, Robert Allenby (Aus) 68 74

143 Davis Love (USA) 74 69, Graeme McDowell 73 70, Jay Haas (USA) 72 71, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 72 71, Darren Clarke 71 72, Jonathan Kaye (USA) 70 73, Peter Senior (Aus) 69 74

144 Thomas Levet (Fra) 73 71, Stewart Cink 71 73, David Toms (USA) 70 74, Alex Cejka (Ger) 70 74, Chris DiMarco (USA) 69 75

145 Stephen Ames (Tri) 73 72, Chris Riley (USA) 70 75, Paul McGinley 70 75

146 Mark Hensby (Aus) 73 73, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 73 73, Thongchai Jaidee (Thai) 71 75, Andre Stolz (Aus) 70 76

147 Darren Fichardt (Rsa) 76 71, Charles Howell (USA) 74 73, KJ Choi (Kor) 71 76, SK Ho (Kor) 71 76

148 Tim Herron (USA) 73 75, Stephen Leaney (Aus) 73 75

149 Arjun Atwal (Ind) 71 78, Chad Campbell (USA) 70 79

150 Fredrik Jacobson (Swe) 74 76

151 Yong-Eun Yang (Kor) 75 76, Michael Campbell (Nzl) 74 77

152 Zhang Lian-wei (Chi) 75 77

153 Scott Verplank (USA) 71 82

155 Shingo Katayama (Jpn) 79 76