The top 60 players on the European Golf Tour are playing in their season-ending event, the Dubai World Championship, this weekend.The course proved unexpectedly tough today, and the leaders have not made much headway after yesterday's low scores. One of the fascinating tussles is the head-to-head between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood.

The winner of this battle will clinch the European Order of Merit title. Westwood has the edge, having held his nerve while others crashed around him to card a 69, and go nine under, with a crucial birdie at 18.

McIlroy played some determined golf, but he dropped two shots on the back nine, which he completed on 4-under yesterday, to fall back into a tie for second on 7-under. Amongst the other 6 players on 7-under is Louis Oosthuizen, who played some great golf, to card one of the rounds of the day, a 66.

The other leading South Africans are Thomas Aiken on minus-6, and Retief Goosen on minus 4. The hole was the complete undoing of multiple Major winner Padriag Harrington. After a brilliant early charge, and in the lead on 9-under, he went into the water twice, and after carding a 7, fell back to join those on seven-under for the tournament. - Reuters