Ross Fisher could not make the move he was looking for when the Dubai World Championship presented by: DP World resumed today.
Needing to finish first or second to have any hope of capturing The European Tour money list title, Volvo World Match Play Championship winner Fisher was down in 40th position after an opening round 73.
And he dropped three further places by remaining one over par after nine more holes.
Two days before his 29th birthday, Fisher pulled his approach to the short fourth into a bunker and failed to get up and down.
He did then birdie the long seventh, but with fellow Englishman Robert Rock going to the turn in a four under par 32 and Frenchman Thomas Levet picking up four birdies in the first eight, Fisher knew he had to play the back nine much better.
Out in front on seven under was Australian Robert Allenby and with the leaders out last from the second round onwards, he did not resume until 12.40pm local time.
The Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy, paired with Swede Johan Edfors at midday, was in a tie for fifth, but that was not good enough to make him the youngest Tour Number Nne since Seve Ballesteros in 1976 with Lee Westwood in a tie for second.
German Martin Kaymer was the other player in the hunt. He requires a top four finish to be in with a shout of overhauling McIlroy and Westwood and, after a birdie on the long second, improved to joint 15th on two under.
Ian Poulter, who could move up to World Number Five by winning on Sunday, drove under a bush on the first - as did Fisher yesterday - and with a double-bogey six slumped to level par.
Fisher did pick up shots on the 10th and 13th, but bogeying the 371 yard 15th returned him to level par and 38th place.
He was in danger of falling out of the title race as Kaymer had his second birdie of the day on the short sixth and on three under par was up to 11th.
Levet continued his move through the field with a fifth birdie of the day on the 401 yard 11th. Four under put him into a tie for fifth, but all the overnight leaders had yet to tee off.
