Rory McIlroy has kept himself firmly on track to the crucial win he needs here to triumph in this year's Race To Dubai
The World No 2 from Holywood in Northern Ireland has to win here at the storied Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling this week and then win again at next week's season-ending, Dubai World Championship to have any chance of catching the runaway Luke Donald for the European Tour's money-winners title this year
As it was on Friday evening , he was tied with the big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, Thursday's joint leader with him and Englishman David Horsey at 7-under after both he and Alvaro had posted stuttering second round 1-under 69s that, somewhat ironically, each featured four birdies and three bogies even though Quiros shot his 69 in the morning and McIlroy his in the late afternoon
In spite of retaining a share of the lead, Quiros was clearly disappointed with his see-saw second round and especially with his bogey five at the 9th, his final hole which, strangely enough also cost McIlroy a shot when he was looking as if he would finish the second round in the lead.
"Unfortunately, I didn't play as well as yesterday," said Quiros in reference to his opening six under 64.
"I managed the round well until the first hole, my tenth. I three-putted there, I three-putted the next hole after that and I didn't hole any good putts after that. My finishing with a bogey at the ninth was especially frustrating, but that's is how it is.
"It's a shame of a round because without those two three-putts, it was a proper number.Nine under would have been be great.
"The most important thing is this afternoon, people are going to shoot low, but anyway, I'm going to be up there."
And that he was - as McIlroy was to find out
Unheralded Thai Panupol Pittayarat was a shot back, alone in third place after shooting a sparkling 65 that contained an eagle and three birdies while Miguel Angel Jiménez, who shot a 70. was a further shot back in a two-way tie with Scott Richie Ramsay, who still had two holes to play.
Horsey was now three shots off the pace in a five-way tie got 7th after signing for a disappointing 2-over 72 that included two birdies, two bogeys and a costly double-bogey six at the ninth, where he found the water.
"It was not as good as yesterday obviously. I played all right; iron play was good but I didn't hit many fairways, and if you miss the fairways it's difficult to control your second shot," Horsey said.
"I scrambled pretty well, but didn't putt so well so for all that it's not too bad, it's not going to be far away by the end of the day so hopefully I'll go well at the weekend."
Gareth Maybin, meanwhile, produced a hole-in-one at the fourth as the Northern Irishman ended one under following a 73.
"I had 199 yards, a downwind and it was a perfect number for my five iron," he said.
"It landed about ten yards short, rolled up, then went in. I saw it all the way and went a bit crazy on the tee."
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