Rory McIlroy wasn’t happy with his score for the second day running but he was still pleased to give his manager the 40th birthday present he asked for in the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.

Despite missing six good birdie chances—four of them from inside six feet—the world number eight looked close to his very best on the Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club, knocking in a 16 footer at the last for a six-under 66 that left him tied for fifth, just four strokes behind South Africa’s Justin Harding on seven-under.

“It’s Sean’s 40th birthday, and he said the only thing I want for my birthday is you going out there and shooting 66,” McIlroy said as manager Sean O’Flaherty looked on.

“I was thinking of him on that putt over 18 for 66 and was able to hole it. It’s not the only thing he’ll get for his birthday but it’s a good start.”

South Africa’s Justin Harding holed out from 183 yards for an eagle two on the par-four sixth as he shot a 68 to lead by two strokes on 11-under from Tyrrell Hatton (66) with South Africa’s Erik van Rooyen (67) and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti (70) a shot further back.

McIlroy is tied for fifth with Joachim B Hansen, Adrian Meronk, Viktor Hovland and Richard Bland and with the likes of Ryder Cup teammates Lee Westwood, Tommy Fleetwood, Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger all inside the top 15, he felt he should have done better. 

“Could have been way lower,” said McIlroy, who birdied the first, fourth and 10th and chipped in for an eagle at the 13th. “I certainly hit the ball well enough for it to be lower. 

“I missed a few opportunities, but with the way these new greens are, they get a bit chewed up in the afternoons and start to wiggle a little bit if there isn’t a lot of speed on them but they are pretty quick as well and you don't want to be giving them too much of a run at the hole.

“So yeah, I certainly hit the ball as good as I've done in a long time, and it could have been a few better but 66 this afternoon is a good score and sets me up for a nice weekend.”

While Jonathan Caldwell complained of a shoulder injury and finished with three bogeys and two double bogeys for an 81 and miss the cut by eight strokes, Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry also made the weekend.

Harrington’s short game was again superb as he carded a second successive 70 to share 17th on four-under but Lowry (124th for strokes gained putting) only squeaked in on the one-over cut line after a 74 with most of the damage done by a double-bogey seven after a drive out of bounds at the 10th.

"I certainly didn’t play very well for the first seven holes today and I got the most out of my round at that stage and then I played really well for the last 11 holes,” Harrington said. “What I am doing well, is that I’m getting up-and-down a lot.  That was the key also to my round yesterday and it was the same today.”