Stenson on way to adding Dubai title to his kitty

Dubai: Henrik Stenson took a giant stride towards becoming European Number One with a joint best of the day eight under par 64 in the second round to lead the DP World Tour Championship, here today.

The Swede, who is in pole position in The Race to Dubai at the final event of the season, has a grandstand finish on his mind after eight birdies in a flawless round moved him one shot ahead of Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares (67) and four clear of Australian Marcus Fraser (69) and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson (66), who won the Turkish Airlines Open last week.

The two men who would win The Race to Dubai with victory on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell, were left in Stenson’s slipstream, and at seven under and four under respectively – and with the leader in such superb form – their hopes of usurping him are diminishing.

"They are chasing me as hard as they can, and I know neither of the guys are going to back down, so I’d better keep my foot down and my head down and try to keep the momentum,” said Stenson, who is aiming to become the first player to win The Race to Dubai and the FedEx Cup in the same season.

"I've got my family here and a lot of friends from living here for ten years, so it’s great support and great crowds for me out there. I'm trying my best to please them and keep them happy.

“I was playing nicely yesterday and had a lot of chances but didn't take them. Today I was playing the same, more or less. I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, and gave myself opportunities. It was nice to roll a couple of putts in.”

Defending champion Rory McIlroy signed for a five under par 67 to lie at six under overall.