McIlroy grabs clubhouse lead in Dubai, Kaymer 2nd

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -Rory McIlroy was the clubhouse leader in the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic, two shots clear of Martin Kaymer who drew close with his first hole-in-one on Friday.

McIlroy, three shots back after the first round, picked up where he left off with seven birdies on his final 10 holes. He birdied his first two holes, chipped in for birdie on his eighth and saw his eagle putt on No. 9 lip out. He's 13 under overall.

"I was never really under pressure in any point of the round," said McIlroy, the 2009 champion who has led going into the weekend for the past four years.

"This was very stress-free golf; fairways most of the time, a lot of greens, and gave myself a lot of looks. So overall, really pleased with how I played today. Obviously looking forward to the weekend."

McIlroy said he was most happy with his driving, after inconsistencies in that department were a factor in his finishing second at the Abu Dhabi Championship two weeks ago.

"I was very pleased with how I drove the ball today. That has been a huge positive," he said. "Coming into this week, I didn't feel I drove the ball well at all in Abu Dhabi. I've put that right for the most part and felt really confident off the tee."

Kaymer (67) kept pace for much of the day, holding a share of the lead after 11. But then McIlroy birdied the 12th and Kaymer three-putted for a bogey on his 13th. But just when it looked like he might fall down the leaderboard, he made a hole-in-one on his 16th, hitting an 8-iron 180 yards.

"It was very similar to yesterday, hit a lot of good tee shots, a lot of fairways, a lot of good iron shots," Kaymer said. "I didn't make a lot of mistakes so that creates a lot of birdie chances. If I keep playing like this and avoiding mistakes, I think I'll be fine."

Kaymer, who handily beat McIlroy in Abu Dhabi last year, said he was relishing the chance to go head-to-head with him again on Sunday.

"The only thing that matters is the trophy, to leave Sunday afternoon knowing you have beaten everyone. That is the pure satisfaction," Kaymer said. "A few players say the want to win but they don't want it as much as others. Rory is one of those people. He really wants to win."

Stephen Gallacher of Scotland matched McIlroy's 65 and was three shots off the pace in third. A further shot back was George Coetzee of South Africa, who had five birdies and his second eagle in two days to finish with a 6-under 66.

Overnight leader Rafael Cabrera-Bello was also four shots back and had not begun his second round.