Golf: A late eagle leaves Martin flying high

Spain's Pablo Martin eagled the final hole in gathering dusk to claim a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

Martin's nine-under round of 63 took him to 13-under in the 2010 European Tour opener, four strokes clear of morning starters Ernie Els of South Africa and Italian Edoardo Molinari.

The 23-year-old Martin, who won the Portuguese Open as an amateur in 2007, opened with two birdies and added more at the sixth, ninth and 11th before registering a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th.

His only bogey came at the eighth, while at the par-five 18th he put a three-iron to nine feet and holed the eagle putt.

"I lost track of the birdies a little bit," Martin said. "It was just a very good, fun round and it went the way I wanted it to go. I think it was the best day I've had with the putter.

"Today was a little bit of a surprise. I've been playing well, but I was under pressure to keep my card at the end of last season, and it's not the same when you have pressure and can't play freely like today."

Home favourite Els, seeking to avoid a first winless year since 1990, followed up his first-round 68 with a 67 at the Leopard Creek course, mixing eight birdies and three birdies.

Els is optimistic about his chances: "I'm looking for that breakout round," he said. "I feel like I'm playing well enough to shoot some really good numbers, especially in weather like today.

"I'd love to win this and it's very important to me, but you can't get carried away. I've really got to think of the present and just keep plugging away."

Argentina's Ariel Canete, South African Charl Schwartzel and Sweden's Pelle Edberg are tied at eight-under, along with first-round leader Ulrich van den Berg of South Africa.

Briton John Bickerton produced the second hole-in-one of the tournament at the par-three fifth. South African Thomas Aiken fired an earlier ace at the 12th on Thursday.

Second-round play was interrupted by debris floating on the wind from a fire at a nearby sugar plantation. Much of it settled on the course and, although there was no formal suspension, some groups had to wait while staff cleared the greens.

The Alfred Dunhill Championship is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and South Africa's Sunshine Tour.

Meanwhile, Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker were tied with Justin Leonard and Scott Verplank for the lead of the Shark Shootout at six-under 66 after yesterday's first round, despite playing the final six holes one-over.

Leonard and Verplank did the opposite, with birdies on four of their last six holes, in the tournament hosted by Greg Norman at Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

Tim Clark and Chad Campbell were in third place, one back at five-under, with Steve Flesch and Dustin Johnson.

Clark made a 40-footer for birdie on the second, and closed the round with a nine-footer at the last. Flesch and Johnson birdied four of their last six holes.

Norman isn't playing in the event for the first time after having right shoulder surgery in late September.

- AGENCIES