Ernie Els closed with four straight birdies Friday, giving him his second straight 7-under-par 64 and a six-shot lead at the midway point of the Johnnie Walker World Championship.

Els broke the tournament record with a 30 on the back nine, hitting out of Nick Faldo's divot on the par-5 17th but still managing to get there in two.At 14-under 128, he will be difficult to catch.

"Very seldom do you see a guy shoot four straight rounds of 7-under . . . like he's probably going to do," said Tom Lehman, whose 65 left him in a tie for second with Faldo at 134. "He's going to have to mess up."

View Comments

Another stroke back was David Gilford, who shot a 64.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.