Advantage Westwood as McIlroy wilts

Youngster's missed putts hand two-shot lead to rival in race to be European No 1

(AP)

Aptly enough for a man in a desert with a thirst to satisfy, Lee Westwood is refusing to be blinded by the glare. While Rory McIlroy admits to still being distracted by the numbers in the Order of Merit race, Westwood's focus is solely on taking one step at a time towards the Dubai World Championship. The Englishman calls it "a plodding game" and he has managed to plod his way into a two-shot lead.

Despite being in the group of five sharing second place on seven-under, the scenario is beginning to look ominous for McIlroy, the 20-year-old who would become the second youngest winner of the Harry Vardon Trophy. He holds a £115,000 advantage over Westwood at the head of the money list and with Ross Fisher and Martin Kaymer, the only other possible winners, all but out of the picture here, he knows he will hold on if he can at least match Westwood. But this knowledge is definitely not power. "It's strange but every day here feels like Sunday," said McIlroy. Yes, he was having a Morrissey moment.

The lad's anxiety levels are plainly, if understandably, too high as the status of European No 1 beckons. That much was surely proved when, on the way to a 69, he missed two putts of under three feet on the 14th and 15th. Up until the first tiddler went awry, McIlroy had appeared supreme, picking up three birdies and a tap-in eagle on the 576-yard par-five seventh. "I was playing fantastically," he said. Indeed, his front-nine 31 had forged him a two-stroke lead. At this point Westwood might even have been alarmed. If he had bothered to look.

"I've always been a leaderboard watcher but this week Billy [Foster, his caddie] has banned me from doing it," said the 36-year-old. "I've never done it before and it will be hard, but I will only look at it on Sunday night. Billy's right. I must concentrate solely on what I'm doing. Listen, I know that if I play as good as I can, make a few putts and get it up and down, I'll win the tournament. Because I know I'm good enough."

Westwood has exuded this laid-back conviction all week regardless of the frustrations his profession will inevitably throw up. Yesterday, after beginning with two birdies, his serenity was threatened by "flag positions that didn't really fit my eye". So he would hit the centre of greens and putt up to hole-side for par after par. "I was having to play a plodding game," he said. "Some days the birdies don't come so freely. Just dig in and grind it out a while."

Westwood made it sound simple, although it is anything but. Experience, however, has plainly taught him to stay patient, even when there is a £900,000 winning bonus on offer. "All good things come to those who wait," he laughed. "There's probably nobody more experienced on the leaderboard than me and Billy, so hopefully that will have a massive effect. I've been involved in this sort of thing [an Order of Merit race] before [he won in 2000] so that should give me a big edge."

The manner in which he closed out his own 69 certainly suggested the force is with him. McIlroy called the 18th "one of the hardest par fives I've played into the wind" and was relieved to make his par. Westwood went one better, hitting a driver, three wood, seven-iron to 20 feet before breaking the habit of the round and rolling in a 20-footer. "A lot of people have been critical about the 18th this week but Billy and I think it's a good hole," he said. "You've got to hit three good shots to get it close. That birdie will make my dinner taste sweeter."

What made the four seem even more honey-coated was the seven taken by Padraig Harrington 10 minutes before. The triple major-winner arrived on the tee setting the pace on nine-under but found the creek which runs straight down the middle of the fairway with his drive. He took his penalty, but was soon wet again when he located more water left of the green. "I didn't even know that hazard was there," confessed the Irishman. No matter, he chipped it dead for a double bogey and, bizarrely, walked off the green giggling.

Perhaps Harrington was recalling the last time he hit two balls in the water on one hole. That came on the 18th at Carnoustie in 2007 on a dramatic Sunday evening. A disaster to most, but not our Paddy. He ended up winning his first Open Championship.