Ross Fisher's promise to "try and go for everything" paid handsome dividends when the Dubai World Championship resumed on Saturday.

Rank outsider of the four players left fighting for the European Tour money list title, Fisher needed to finish first or second just to have a chance and at halfway was down in 39th spot.

But, although he bogeyed the short fourth for the second day running, there were also five birdies in his opening eight holes and the Volvo World Match Play champion was up to 15th.

At four under par he had reduced his deficit on leader Lee Westwood - one of his Order of Merit rivals - from nine shots to five, but at least it gave him encouragement not to give up the chase.

Fisher birdied the second and third and then had three more in a row from the short sixth.

Fellow Englishman Danny Willett played the first seven in five under, but then came three successive bogeys and a double bogey at the 476-yard 12th to send him tumbling back down to two over.

Alongside Fisher, though, was another of his compatriots Graeme Storm, who hit back from an opening 78 with a 66 on Friday and set off again with three more birdies before picking up another on the long seventh.

Westwood led by two from a group that included Rory McIlroy, the 20-year-old Northern Irishman who tops the money list by over £114,000 and still has a great chance of becoming the youngest Tour number one since Seve Ballesteros won it aged 19 in 1976.

He would miss out, however, if Westwood wins the tournament and even if the Worksop golfer slips to second, McIlroy still cannot afford to finish below him.

German Martin Kaymer, third in the race, remained only two under after two holes.