Garcia and Molinari share Dubai lead

Sergio Garcia and Francesco Molinari share the lead at the half-way point of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai with Rory McIlroy eight shots off the pace.

Garcia and Molinari started the day two shots behind overnight leader Lee Westwood but they closed the gap early on in their rounds and it looked as though there would be a three-way tie for the lead at the close of play until the Englishman bogeyed the last.

While Garcia birdied the second, fourth and sixth, Molinari picked up shots at the second, fourth and seventh as they both reached the turn in 33. Molinari's only dropped shot of the round came at the tenth but he recovered with three successive birdies from the 14th as Garcia birdied the 11th before dropping a shot at the 13th.

The Spaniard recorded back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th with both men parring the final two homes to sign for rounds of 67.

"I felt like I was swinging the club really, really well. I was hitting a lot of good shots. I hit a couple of iffy putts here and there but I made some really good ones, also. I was very happy to see all of that," Garcia said.

"I'm excited about it. It's good to be out there with a chance the last tournament of the year. I just want to make sure that I keep playing the same way I've played these first two days and see where that takes us."

Westwood had joined Garcia and Molinari in a three-way tie for the lead after birdies at the second, 14th and 16th holes but a bogey six on the par-five 18th meant he dropped back to eight-under for the tournament, one behind the joint leaders.

Joost Luiten, Charl Schwartzel, Bernd Wiesberger and Tyrrell Hatton are a further stroke back on seven under, while Nicolas Colsaerts and Matthew Fitzpatrick are tied for eighth on six-under.

After slumping to a three-over 75 on Thursday, McIlroy looked sharper as he made his way around the Jumeirah Golf Estates during Friday's second round.

Having struggled with his putter in the opening round, McIlroy mixed six birdies and two bogeys on his way to a four-under-par 68 to sit one-under for the tournament.

An opening par was followed by a birdie on the second and, after giving the shot back on the fourth, he birdied the sixth, seventh and eighth, only to bogey the ninth.

Birdies at the 14th and 18th took him under par but the four-time major winner acknowledges he will need help if he is to win this weekend.

"If Lee or one of the other guys who played well yesterday don't get to 10 under par I feel I still have a chance. I'm hoping for some wind to get up this afternoon," McIlroy said.

"Yesterday was just one of those days. I was mentally very flat, still in holiday mode and not quite switched on to what I needed to do. I sort of turned it around today and hopefully can do the same over the weekend."

Race to Dubai leader Henrik Stenson remains in pole position to take the coveted title after a second round 69 to leave him three-under, the same score as Danny Willett and Ireland's Shane Lowry.

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