Justin Rose was just one stroke off the lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill Championship in Johannesburg after putting together two of the best rounds of his young golfing life.

After grabbing the early first-round lead before being overtaken and left in the distance by Scotland's Dean Robertson on Thursday, Rose (pictured right) brilliantly reeled the man from Paisley back in again yesterday.

This was a big test of the young Hampshire player's character and he came through with flying colours.

He fought all through last season to earn enough money to secure his European card and failed. A good finish at the Houghton Golf Club near Johannesburg tomorrow will go a long way to doing the job - and this is just the second event of 2001!

It was asking a lot of Rose to emulate his six-under-par first round but he almost did. After reaching the last hole in five under, he worked himself a short putt for his sixth birdie of the day and saw it curl agonisingly wide.

But to get home in 67 was still a terrific achievement. The 20-year-old from Hook near Basingstoke started at the tenth, parred his first seven holes and birdied 17, 18, three, five and the short par-three seventh. He'd picked up five shots and didn't give one back.

Story of the day was Nick Faldo's 65 which left him on the same 11-under-par total as Rose. Faldo, bidding for his first win on the European Tour for seven years, had seven birdies and no drops.

Behind Robertson there was a four-way tie for second place involving Rose, Faldo, Des Terblanche from South Africa, Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez and the defending champion Anthony Wall.