Ireland's Paul McGinley produced an amazing fight-back to move from flirting with missing the cut to an elevated position on the leaderboard in the Alfred Dunhill Challenge at a soaking-wet Houghton Club, Johannesburg. McGinley was one of the alsorans as he approached the end of his first round but finished with a birdie hat-trick and then fired a second-round 66 to finish on five under par to trail half-way leader Trevor Dodds by five shots.

"It was a great turnaround because I was four-over-par with three holes to play of my first round but finished birdie, birdie, birdie," said the 33-year-old Dubliner.

"I hadn't had a birdie until then but started the second round with a bit of momentum and with all things considered, playing the first tournament with 11 brand new clubs, I'm pretty pleased."

McGinley, who eagled the 16th hole in his 66, has switched to new Taylor Made clubs and added: "The jury is still out on the clubs.

"There's nothing wrong with them, they're excellent, it's just a matter of me getting comfortable with them."

Dodds returned a 69 and followed with a tournament-low 65 to lead England's Anthony Wall by two shots. Four behind on six under-par are the British Ryder Cup pair Peter Baker and Paul Broadhurst and the Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez.

The overnight leader Brian Davis was four under after playing the first six holes in level par, and Scotland's Gary Orr birdied three of the five he completed to reach six under before play was suspended at 6:40 p.m.

Dodds attributed yesterday's display with the driver to a lesson he received from his 71-year-old father Raymond.

"My dad was a one or two handicap player in his youth, but he's always been a great teacher," he said. "He pointed out that I was coming through the ball with my right side too high."

Dodds was one under in his first round when play resumed at 7 a.m. yesterday, and completed a three-under-par round. After a short break he went out and shot his bogey-free 65. He was slow to get going, making par at five of the first six holes after starting at the 10th. The exception was a birdie two at the short 12th where he had nearly holed with an eight-iron. He picked up six more birdies in the last 12 holes and was back in the clubhouse when the rain intensified from a frustrating drizzle to a downpour.

Play was suspended because of waterlogged greens but after 90 minutes it resumed in the best weather of the event so far, and Wall completed a five-under-par 67. He likes this tournament, having finished seventh two years ago when his father caddied for him.

Australia's Karrie Webb overcame a quadruple bogey nine and gale force conditions to retain her lead at the half-way stage of the Office Depot Tournament in Florida.

The world number one put together a 75 for five-under-par 139, and led by three from Nancy Lopez.