World number one Tiger Woods birdied the last hole to earn a one-shot lead but it was Ireland's Damien McGrane who grabbed the spotlight during a wild and windy second day at the Dubai Desert Classic.

The 36-year-old McGrane, ranked 319th in the world, ignored gusts of 25mph which whipped up a desert sandstorm to shoot a three-under-par 69 for a seven-under total of 137 and second place behind Woods (71).
   
Holder Henrik Stenson (70) of Sweden shared third position on 138 with Frenchman Thomas Levet (71).
   
Spain's Sergio Garcia was among a group one stroke further adrift while three-times champion Ernie Els and order of merit leader Lee Westwood were back on 140.
   
"It's nice to see my name near the top of the leaderboard," said McGrane, who has never finished higher than third in a European Tour event. "Golf is a tough game and it's been a long road for me.
   
"I have to make the most of what I do. No matter who I am playing with, whether it's yourself or Tiger, I have to try and do the same thing, play my own game, sink a few putts and hopefully the numbers add up at the end," he told reporters.
   
The highlight of McGrane's round was an eagle at the long third, his 12th hole, where the 5-foot-8 Irishman bludgeoned his three-wood second shot 283 yards and sank his putt for a three.
   
"I almost surprised myself. I pitched the ball on the green, hit the flag and finished four feet from the hole," he said.
   
Woods, fresh from his eight-shot victory at the Buick Invitational in California on Sunday, had his overnight two-shot lead trimmed after mixing four birdies with three bogeys on a cold day at the Emirates Golf Club.
 
The 13-times major winner was satisfied with his performance in difficult conditions.
   
"It was not a pretty day out there so I am pleased," said Woods. "Anything in the red today or even-par was going to be a good score and I'm happy to be in the red.
   
"Anytime you play in the wind you can make a great swing, do everything right and get a gust and look like an idiot."
   
Woods will be paired with McGrane in tomorrow's third round and admitted it was a name he had never come across before.
   
"I know he's Irish but that's about it," said the 32-year-old American.
   
There were several times when clicking cameras among the crowd proved a distraction for Woods.
   
"I know there is a policy with no cameras but that's not really happening out here," he said. "Most of us were backing off shots today because of it and...it made for an interesting day."
   
Graeme McDowell and Gary Murphyare still very much in contention as both shot 72 in difficult conditions to remain tied fifth on five-under and just three off Woods' lead.

Paul McGinley continued to steer a steady, if unspectacular, ship with a second round 72 to make it into the weekend on one-under.

Among the casualties of the halfway cut were teenager Rory McIlroy and compatriot Darren Clarke, and former US Open champion Michael Campbell.

McIlroy matched Peter Lawrie's disappointing 77 as the pair both finished two over, and one shot outside the cut. Clarke's 75 left him three shots adrift of the cut.

Collated second round scores & totals in the European Tour Dubai Desert Classic, Emirates GC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):

136 Tiger Woods (USA) 65 71

137 Damien McGrane 68 69

138 Thomas Levet (Fra) 67 71, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 70

139 Hennie Otto (Rsa) 69 70, Gary Murphy 67 72, Scott Hend (Aus) 67 72, Sergio
Garcia (Spa) 68 71, Ross Fisher 69 70, Graeme McDowell 67 72, Peter Hedblom
(Swe) 69 70

140 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 70, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (Fra) 72 68, Shiv Kapur
(Ind) 68 72, Ernie Els (Rsa) 68 72, Soren Hansen (Den) 68 72, Andrew Coltart 69
71, Martin Kaymer (Ger) 67 73, Lee Westwood 69 71

141 Pelle Edberg (Swe) 67 74, David Frost (Rsa) 72 69, Paul Broadhurst 70 71,
Johan Edfors (Swe) 71 70, Graeme Storm 69 72, Andrew McLardy (Rsa) 67 74, Miguel
Angel Jimenez (Spa) 67 74, Ian Poulter 70 71, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 67 74, Peter
O'Malley (Aus) 68 73

142 Alexander Noren (Swe) 71 71, James Kingston (Rsa) 68 74, Benn Barham 68 74,
Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 73 69, Brendan Jones (Aus) 71 71, Thongchai Jaidee (Tha)
69 73

143 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 67 76, Robert Jan Derksen (Ned) 68 75, Soren
Kjeldsen (Den) 69 74, David Howell 68 75, Ricardo Gonzalez (Arg) 72 71, Maarten
Lafeber (Ned) 71 72, Stephen Gallacher 70 73, Niclas Fasth (Swe) 72 71, Richard
Green (Aus) 73 70, Ariel Canete (Arg) 68 75, Miles Tunnicliff 69 74, Paul
McGinley 71 72, Gregory Havret (Fra) 72 71

144 Steve Webster 73 71, Anders Hansen (Den) 70 74, Martin Erlandsson (Swe) 72
72, Colin Montgomerie 72 72, Simon Dyson 67 77, Jose Manuel Lara (Spa) 70 74,
Mark O'Meara (USA) 70 74, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 74 70, Phillip Archer 72 72,
Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (Spa) 73 71, Marcus Fraser (Aus) 69 75, Richard Sterne
(Rsa) 69 75

145 Garry Houston 68 77, Mikko Ilonen (Fin) 74 71, Jean Van de Velde (Fra) 73
72, Per-Ulrik Johansson (Swe) 71 74, Simon Khan 72 73, Daniel Vancsik (Arg) 68
77, Anthony Wall 73 72, Stephen Dodd 73 72, James Kamte (Rsa) 74 71, Bradley
Dredge 73 72

------------------------Following players missed the cut-------------------------

146 Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 76, Nick Dougherty 72 74, Scott Drummond 72 74,
Peter Lawrie 69 77, David Lynn 73 73, Mads Vibe-Hastrup (Den) 69 77, Raphael
Jacquelin (Fra) 74 72, Simon Wakefield 76 70, Rory McIlroy 69 77, Alastair
Forsyth 69 77, Ignacio Garrido (Spa) 69 77

147 Francesco Molinari (Ita) 72 75, Christian Cevaer (Fra) 72 75, Anton Haig
(Rsa) 72 75, Phillip Price 74 73, John Bickerton 74 73, Ross Bain 74 73, Hideto
Tanihara (Jpn) 72 75, Gregory Bourdy (Fra) 74 73, Sam Little 75 72, Mark Foster
72 75

148 Michael Campbell (Nzl) 76 72, Joakim Haeggman (Swe) 73 75, Alvaro Quiros
(Spa) 73 75, Peter Hanson (Swe) 70 78, Jose-Filipe Lima (Por) 71 77, Sam Walker
74 74, Paul Lawrie 72 76, Richard Finch 75 73, Markus Brier (Aut) 73 75,
Chapchai Nirat (Tha) 74 74, Fredrik Andersson Hed (Swe) 73 75

149 Marc Warren 74 75, Jean-Francois Lucquin (Fra) 74 75, Darren Clarke 74 75

150 Mardan Mamat (Sin) 76 74

151 Matthew Turner 76 75, Oliver Wilson 78 73, Carlos Rodiles (Spa) 75 76

152 David Griffiths 76 76, Jean-Francois Remesy (Fra) 73 79, Barry Lane 72 80

153 Carl Suneson (Spa) 77 76

154 Zane Scotland (Gbr) 76 78, Tom Whitehouse 75 79, Pablo Martin (Spa) 78 76

159 Faycal Serghini (Mor) 79 80

161 Andrew Whitelaw 80 81

163 Yousoff Khalid (UAE) 81 82

Retired — Marcel Siem (Ger)