Things were a little tougher on Friday for Justin Harding, but he still managed a second round of two-under-par 70 to ease into a share of third spot at the halfway mark in the European Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
He made three birdies and a bogey to go with his opening six-under-par 66, moving to eight-under for the tournament, two shots off the pace set by Belgium’s Thomas Detry. Left-handed Scotsman Robert Macintyre was on nine-under in second place.
Harding shares third with Finland’s Kalle Samooja and world number 19 Tommy Fleetwood, who each shot four-under 68, and he’s a stroke ahead of countryman Brandon Stone made seven birdies and two bogeys on his way to a five-under-par 67 and a share of sixth at halfway. Also on seven-under in sixth are Lee Westwood, Adri Arnaus, Paul Casey, Kurt Kitayama and Miko Korhonen.
First round leader Richard Sterne battled with his back, but held on for a two-over 74 to slip to six-under and a share of 12th.
Justin Walters fired a two-under 70 to move to two-under, Jayden Schaper a one-over 73 to move to one-under, George Coetzee a second-successive level-par 72 together with Dean Burmester, and Christiaan Bezuidenhout was the last of the South Africans to make the cut after a two-under 70 moved him to level-par.
Zander Lombard, Haydn Porteous, Wilco Nienaber, Ernie Els and Garrick Higgo all missed the cut.