Dubai: Last year's winner Henrik Stenson is banking on patience to make the final push on the last two days to counter a possible Tiger threat at the Dubai Desert Classic.
"Golf is not a sprint sport, it's a marathon," Stenson told Gulf News after shooting a second round two-under 70 for a two-round score of 6-under-par.
"I was in a similar situation here last year and then I came up with four birdies in the last nine holes and everything changed as I won the title," the Dubai-based Stenson said.
"Tiger is always the favourite, and going by the way he has been playing, one has to be wary of the threat from that direction. But if I can be among the group of four of five golfers who can be around there to mount a challenge on Sunday, I can't see why I cannot go out there and defend my title," Stenson stated.
The second day of the tournament witnessed high-speed winds that really did not aid golf.
Stenson took his time to focus and managed to come up with birdies on the third and seventh holes on the front nine and then another two on the 10th and 18th on the back.
"The conditions were pretty tough out there, but then they were the same for all," Stenson said.
"I think I am in a pretty decent position at the moment," he added. "During the last two rounds, it is pretty much a matter of patience and grinding it out there on the course. It's going to be very tricky."
All his good work was nearly neutralised by two successive bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes, leaving the defending champion to rue his chances of an opportunity of being in a better position.
"It is a bad lesson to make a six on a short par-5 really. That was the one thing I was most disappointed with during this round," Stenson noted.
Being a Dubai resident most probably gives Stenson an advantage, or that is what it seems when one notices that he has a near perfect record at tournaments here.
The Swede has had two second finishes in the three tournaments he has played in 2008 - in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.
"I do not put too much pressure on myself as I believe that the more confidence you have in yourself, the more you will have things happening for you," Stenson stated.
"I know that my game is not yet 100 per cent, but I think I have had a reasonably good start to make the final push," he added.
