Rory McIlroy's first hole-in-one in competition set the stage for a weekend duel with Martin Kaymer at the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Kaymer holds a two-stroke lead McIlroy, the world's top-ranked golfer, and a one-stroke lead on Thomas Pieters of Belgian, a former NCAA champion who at 22 is seeking his first victory on the European Tour.
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Kaymer's second round included a birdie on No. 10, on which he chipped in from a greenside bunker. Kaymer is 13-under; McIlroy sank a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 6-under 66.
Also in the lee: Peter Uihlein of the United States, tied for fourth and four strokes behind Kaymer after 36 holes.
Rickie Fowler imploded on Friday, finishing tied for 56th. His first-round 67 was a distant memory after he struggled to a 75.
Kaymer has won three times on Abu Dhabi's National Course. His 67 on Friday followed an opening-round 64. His goals for the final two rounds are lofty but attainable, given his success on the course.
"I'll give it my best to get into the 20s (under par)," Kaymer told reporters. "I can't even remember how I played in 2011 — I know I didn't miss many fairways and once you do that you have chances."
In that 2011 tournament, he set a record with 24-under 264. Still, Kaymer was realistic: Very good golfers are close behind.
"It's only halftime," he said. "There are always some guys who can shoot the same score I did in the first two days, so I approach tomorrow the way I approached this morning: very neutral. It's nice to have a bit of a cushion, hopefully, but nothing has been done yet."
This tournament and its course are comfortable for Kaymer, who said he was particularly happy with his putting.
"I guess the greens, I can read them very well and my stroke always feels well when I come here," Kaymer told Sky Sports. "Again, today, I didn't miss many fairways, which gives you the opportunity to go for a lot of flags.
"To be honest I really believe the golf course plays two or three shots tougher in the morning than in the afternoon, because once you miss the fairway, you're in that thick, wet grass and then it's almost impossible to get home in two on the par fours.
"So therefore, I was very happy to shoot five under today."
Contributing: Zeenews.India.com