Saturday, July 22 2006 15:10 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Hoylake: Tiger Woods and Ernie Els set up a British Open clash of the titans when they both shot course-record 65s in Friday's second round to spreadeagle the field.

Woods had clamped a stranglehold on the tournament early in the day riding an eagle-two at the 14th en route to a sizzling seven-under par round.

That left his main rivals gasping for air as he sat in the clubhouse at 12-under par three strokes in the lead.

But late in the day Els emerged to challenge his hegemony, playing his best golf in months to match Woods' mark.

That left him alone in second, one stroke behind the American and set up a mouth-watering final pairing on Saturday that brought back memories of the famous 1977 "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry.

Chris DiMarco, who took Woods down to the wire at last year's Masters, also had a course best 65 to stand third a further two strokes back with twice US Open champion Retief Goosen on eight under after coming in with a 66.

"I got it going today, back-to-back birdies was nice and from there I made a few bombs and 14 obviously helped a lot," said 30-year-old Woods, the defending champion," he said. "I couldn't see the flag and I was just trying to hold it against the wind," he said.

"I wasn't trying to get the ball in the hole, I was just trying to get it on the green, believe me," he said.

The 36-year-old Els said he finally felt fully fit again after recovering from the knee injury that had plagued him for the last year.

"It was a lot of fun to say the least out there today," he said.

"It was one of those rounds where I just felt comfortable with my swing and when an opportunity presented itself I tried to be aggressive," he said.

"I just hope to keep it up. I'll be playing with the number one player in the world and it should be a lot of fun," he said.

The pair last went head to head in a play-off at the Dubai Desert Classic in February, which Woods won at the first extra hole after the South African had made up a two-shot deficit on the final day.

On Friday Els was bogey-free reaching the turn at three-under and adding four more birdies on the back nine.

Woods had started the day tied for second at five-under par and a missed 12-footer saw him drop a stroke at the third.

But in ideal playing conditions at the Royal Liverpool links course, Woods bounced back in ominous fashion with birdies at the next two holes.

A monster putt for another birdie at the eighth was followed by a tap-in birdie at the par-five 10th and a 15-foot putt at the 11th as he moved to nine under and the outright lead in the tournament.

Not content to rest on his laurels, Woods fired his four-iron second at the pin 205 yards away on the 14th green and reacted with glee when he heard the huge roar from the gallery telling him that he had holed out for an eagle.

It was spectacular golf and the surest sign yet that Woods has emerged from the period of mourning and self-analysis that followed the death from cancer of his father Earl in May.

The world No.1 took nine weeks off before and after his father's death, only returning in late June when the unspeakable happened and he missed the cut at the US Open. But he said he has now come to terms with the bereavement and it certainly looked that way on Friday.

Woods turned the screw even tighter on his rivals for the title with a birdie at the par-five 16th but had to settle for par at the last.

He was not the only American in action early on Friday who was trying to get over a family tragedy.

His old Masters adversary DiMarco lost his mother to a sudden heart attack last month and in similar fashion he managed to put that to the back of his mind going out in four-under 31.

He briefly led the tournament by two strokes before Woods caught fire, but birdied the last two for a course record 65 later to be matched by both Woods and Els. DiMarco said that missing the Open had not been an option even so soon after his mother's death.

"My mom wouldn't have wanted me to have taken this tournament off just for grief," he said.

"She would have been very upset," he said.

Both Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia fell away after bright starts and will have their work cut out on Saturday if they are to get back in touch with the leading pair.

Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie both missed the cut.

First round leader Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland failed to match his opening 66 as he slumped to a 73.

That left him on five under for the tournament, one behind unsung Englishmen Robert Rock who surprisingly was leading the home challenge six shots off the pace.