Miguel Angel Jiménez of Spain, who admits that maturity has encouraged him to stop and smell the roses these days, had the sweet scent of victory in his nostrils at the Emirates Golf Club after opening up a two stroke lead over double champion Ernie Els at the halfway stage of the Dubai Desert Classic.
The 41 year old Ryder Cup player, renowned for his love of fine wines and extravagantly large cigars, may exude a laid back image, but he also retains a deep zeal to win golf tournaments and a seven under par 65 edged him a little bit closer to a sixth victory in 14 months.
Jiménez, who won five times during 2004, sits on 132, 12 under par, after two rounds, while his closest challenger for the title is South African Els, who won in 1994 and again eight years later.
They were pursued by Welshman Stephen Dodd, who won the opening event on The European Tour International Schedule, the Volvo China Open back in November. Dodd matched Jiménez’s 65 for a nine under par total of 135.
Perhaps it was the inspiration of seeing one of their own become Ryder Cup Captain earlier in the week, but there seemed to be a proliferation of Welshmen hanging around the top of the leaderboard.
Apart from Dodd, Bradley Dredge came in with a 68 for 138, six under par, a mark he shares with Jamie Donaldson and a host of non-Welsh as the field began to bunch up behind the leaders.
Jiménez, who claims that he is improving with age - “like a good wine” - threatened to be even further ahead, but bogeyed the final hole for his only dropped shot of the day. He said: “I was very consistent all round today and I hope I can keep my game the way it is for the rest of the weekend.
“Do I worry about Ernie right behind me? Well, we are human, you know! If you are a machine these things don’t worry you, but it’s hard to do that. You have to be yourself and see what happens.”
Meanwhile Els was not altogether ecstatic with a second round of 68 which meant he trails the Spaniard. He said: “All in all, it’s not been a bad start to the tournament but I feel I could get a bit more out of my game. I feel I am striking the ball well and putting well and I feel I can do well over the weekend.”
The unassuming Dodd began with a three putt for a bogey six at the tenth (his first) but collected eight birdies without a blemish on his way to that fine 65. Having won at long last, Dodd believes he can ill afford to rest on his laurels, even though his Tour status is secured until the end of 2007.
“I want to continue with what I achieved in China but I don’t think you can afford to relax. It’s quite intense and I just think it’s difficult to relax when you care so much about how you perform. You can’t lose concentration out here for one minute.”
The upper echelons of the leaderboard shoaw-case the talents of The European Tour, with South African Jjames Kingston jostling for position in a share of fourth place with two past champions in Thomas Björn of Denmark and Scotland's Colin Montgomerie.
Montgomerie, seeking a place in the world's top 50 to gain entry into the Masters Tournament in April, saw an eagle putt on the last come up just short, but he still managed a round of 67 for seven under par.
Also on 137 are Björn and Fowler, who signed for 68s, while three more European Ryder Cup players, Niclas Fasth of Sweden and the English pair of David Howell and Lee Westwood are on 138, six under par.
Björn admitted: "That is just about as good as I can play from tee to green. Everything was under control. It was one of those rounds where you feel like you should walk off with a 63 or 64."
Meanwhile Montgomerie conceded he was "going in the right direction" and added: "I've got to. I'm aiming for the top 50 to get into the Majors and I am trying my hardest to get in there. I started off 83rd in the world this year and I'm now 63rd so I've move up 20 places and got 13 more to go and we'll get there."
Kingston, still seeking the elusive first victory, said: "I've been knocking on the door a few times and got into position (to win). The more often you do that, the more chances you give yourself. I want to do that and see what happens."
Australian Greg Norman was unable to tee up in the second round after sustaining a back injury in the first round and withdrew from the tournament.
