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Your support makes all the difference.Ernie Els is playing so well at the moment that he managed to turn a difficult round into another sensational performance at the Johnnie Walker Classic.
The South African was level par after his first nine holes but blitzed the back nine in just 29 strokes for the second time in two rounds to lead at the halfway point in Perth.
Els, chasing a fifth win in six tournaments, followed up his opening round of 64 with a 65 on Friday to lead at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club on 15-under-par, four shots clear of Greg Owen and number one Australian Robert Allenby.
It looked at one stage as if the pair might hold on to the clubhouse lead they had set as Els, feeling uncomfortable, tried to work on his swing.
He pulled his third shot on the fifth into the water for a bogey and only managed to win the shot back on the seventh with a putt from 20 feet.
But it was the birdie on 11th, after Els had missed an eight foot putt for eagle, that proved the turning point as he decided, in his own words, to "close my eyes, aim at it and hit it."
The 11th began an incredible run of four consecutive birdies and his second eagle of the week on the 15th. Els finished his Jekyll and Hyde round with a 33 foot putt for another birdie on the last.
"I made some really poor shots on the front nine, especially my second shot on the third hole," he said.
"I was not feeling all that comfortable with my swing. I was working on a couple of things. The harder we tried, the less was happening for us.
"Walking off that (11th) green I said I was going to close my eyes, aim at it and hit it. As I started feeling my rhythm I started making some putts. You are not always going to play the way you want. You have to accept it and let it happen."
Allenby is only four shots back but he believes Els will win in Perth this week and that not even Tiger Woods could stop him.
"He is the man to beat at the moment," said Allenby after his 65. "It would not matter if Tiger was playing, I think Ernie would still win the tournament. He is just playing awesome."
Els was not interested in the hypotheticals - the test will come at the World Matchplay.
The 33-year-old is simply intent on extending his remarkable run of form that yielded two victories in Hawaii and a win at the Heineken Classic to earn him the golfer of the month title for January.
Els said: "He (Woods) is number one in the world and his record speaks for itself. I am just trying to play better."
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