Westwood up 2 at Dubai World Championship

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Lee Westwood closed with two birdies in his final three holes Friday and has a 2-stroke lead halfway through the European PGA Tour's Dubai World Championship.

Westwood shot 3-under-par 69 Friday and is at 9-under 135 after two rounds. Six golfers, including first-round leader Robert Allenby, are tied for second at 7-under and another four golfers are at 6-under.

The group tied for second is made up of Allenby, Padraig Harrington, Ross McGowan, Rory McIlroy, Louis Oosthuizen and Camilo Villegas. McGowan's 6-under 66 was the round of the day Friday at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates.

Westwood opened Friday's round with back-to-back birdies and had a bogey at No. 8 after a 3-foot putt lipped out. He was still 1-under for the round when he got to No. 16, where he dropped in a 7-footer for birdie and a long birdie putt at 18 pushed the lead to two strokes.

Harrington had five birdies and an eagle at the par-5 seventh hole, but also had bogeys at Nos. 4-5 and fell off the top of the leader board with a double-bogey 7 at No. 18 where he hit two balls into water hazards.

McGowan's round was bogey free, including three birdies over Nos. 11-14.

Allenby shot even-par 72 Friday, counting three birdies with three bogeys.