TWO double bogeys put Simon Dyson on the brink of missing the cut at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic - but the North Yorkshire golfer dug deep to squeeze through to the weekend.

In a torrid second round for the 38-year-old, the York-born European Tour ace was - at one stage - flying home from the Emirates Golf Club, despite having been tied sixth after the first round following a sublime 68.

While that effort had been near faultless golf, Dyson, after beginning his second effort with five straight pars, found only four more throughout his entire round as he went on a tumultuous journey to a three-over-par 75.

It left him at one-under at midway stage of the lucrative event - right on the cut line.

Malton & Norton GC stalwart Dyson started on the tenth and endured a torrid time towards the end of his first nine.

A bogey at 15 was followed by his first double bogey at 16 and he dropped another shot at 17 as he made the turn in 41 strokes.

Now below the projected cut mark, Dyson responded in gritty fashion with three consecutive birdies.

But a double on the fifth and another bogey on the sixth once more left him in need of a lifeline.

He found it with a birdie at the par three seventh and then parred the final two holes to narrowly make it into round three.

Having been well placed for a title charge, Dyson is now nine shots behind the half-way leader, Spain's Rafa Cabrera-Bello on ten-under-par.

World number two Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, needed four birdies in his last six holes to repair the damage inflicted on his front nine as he carded his way to a level par 72 and a share of 23rd place.