McIlroy, Bjorn share second round lead

There appears all to play for at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic ahead of the final two days of competition here, with nine players separated by just three shots at the very top of the leaderboard.Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, are out in front on 13-under par, with Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello — the overnight leader on Thursday — stalking the front-running duo on 12 under.Frenchman Gregory Bourdy, Scott Jamieson, of Scotland, and Germany’s Martin Kaymer are a shot behind Cabrera-Bello, with Jamieson’s compatriot Stephen Gallacher, Marcel Siem, of Germany, and England’s Lee Westwood a further stroke back on 10 under.It seems an open race from Saturday morning onwards and a lot will depend on the elements, according to perennial challenger and the 2009 Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion McIlroy.“It just depends what the weather throws up,” he commented. “Over the last couple of years, it’s been windy on the weekend, the scoring hasn’t been great and I won with 19-under par.“With the way the scoring looks, you’ve got to shoot a couple of scores in the 60s to have a chance.”With that in mind, 12 professionals – including the top 11 – are yet to breach the 70-shot marker for any round so far, making it somewhat difficult to discount a single competitor from a bunched-up field.“Anybody who sits up there on that leaderboard has got a chance,” Bjorn said. “That’s the name of the game. There are two rounds to go. Nothing is done yet. You’ve got to get out there and play your stuff on Saturday and present yourself with a chance come Sunday on the back nine.