Last-hole birdie gives McDowell Sun City lead

Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland brushed aside a back-nine double-bogey seven to birdie the last hole on Friday and take a one-stroke halfway lead in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.The gritty 2010 US Open champion carded a five-under-par 67 -- the lowest second-round score at the 7162-metre Gary Player Country Club -- in hot, partly cloudy conditions to lead by a single shot from four pursuers.American Jason Dufner (68), Swede Robert Karlsson (69), German world number four Martin Kaymer (68) and English world number three Lee Westwood (70) share second place.Simon Dyson (70) of England and South Korean Kim Kyung-Tae (70) are two shots further back on 140 and very much in contention for the $1.25 million first prize in the annual 12-man invitation event.Dane Anders Hansen (69), world number one Luke Donald (72) of England, Charl Schwartzel (74) of South Africa and reigning British Open champion Darren Clarke (69) of Nothern Ireland are not out of the running either.But late inclusion Francesco Molinari from Italy, who came in when a neck injury ruled out Dane Thomas Bjorn, seems in a hopeless position after firing a five-over 77 that left him 12 strokes behind McDowell.The hole from hell for McDowell was 14 as he needed two shots to get out of the rough after being wayward off the tee and he also visited a bunker en route to the green, where two putts from six feet completed his misery.But sinking a long birdie putt at the difficult dog-leg final hole brought a smile back to the resilient Ulsterman, who clinched vistory for Europe over the United States at Celtic Manor in the last Ryder Cup.