Howell, who has been battling back pains for the last seven weeks, produced a magnificent seven-under-par 65 in the second round of the rain-hit BMW Championship at Wentworth.

Easily the round of the day, it took him to the 11-under-par halfway total of 133, three clear of fellow Englishman Nick Dougherty, with defending champion Angel Cabrera and Swede Robert Karlsson one further back.

Els, who had 36 putts in a 74, is the man who has re-designed 17 of the 18 holes on the West Course, but has yet to tackle the greens and might have wished he had done that first as he fell 10 behind.

“We’ve done all the work on everything else, but unfortunately with this weather putting was like running against a wall,” said the South African.

“They were unplayable for me.”

Some more big names like Lee Westwood, Adam Scott, Irish Open winner Thomas Bjorn and former Open champion Ben Curtis fell out of the event altogether and because of a 60-minute delay at the start of the day Darren Clarke and Ian Poulter are among the group on three under who will only discover their fate tomorrow round when the round is concluded.

Howell beat Tiger Woods head to head in Shanghai in November, but said: “This would be a bigger win in my mind.

“It’s a hug tournament. This is the PGA Championship, a different ball-game and has the strongest field Europe can produce.

“Obviously I’m in a great position and I have managed to separate myself from a lot of the guys, but it’s a tough course.

“I guess that’s one of the best rounds I’ve ever played and I’m delighted. I was quite apprehensive going out with the wind gusting.

“I didn’t tink I’d be sat here 11 under, but after the first three holes everything just really clicked and I tried to ride the crest of the wave.”

He had no fewer than eight birdies and by picking up fours on the two closing par-fives left the rest trailing in his wake.

Howell started suffering with his back at the Masters, took four weeks off and although he was 11th on his return at the British Masters a fortnight ago he decided to skip last week’s Irish Open to take more rest.

“It’s not affecting me on the course. I can’t practise as much as usual, but perhaps that’s no bad thing.”

After dreaming he had won the title with a closing 63, Dougherty had to be content with a second-round 69 in reality.

But on a morning of rain and then wind it was more than enough to keep the young Liverpudlian – 24 on Wednesday – believing that on Sunday night he could be going to bed almost half a million pounds richer and a near-certainty for a Ryder Cup debut.

Dougherty’s dream was that he battled with former Walker Cup partner and joint first-round leader Luke Donald and left him for dead.

“It wasn’t even a contest. I think I shot 63 and he only shot 70,” he said. “I don’t like my dreams to be too stressful down the stretch. I was very disappointed when I woke up.

“I have dreams like that all the time,” added Dougherty. “God knows, I’ve won so many Opens.”

He has not even played in the event yet, but will do so for the first time in July at Hoylake close to his home.

When play eventually began it was Donald’s start that was dream-like.

The world number 10 spun a seven-iron into the hole at the 154-yard second for what he thought was his “seventh or eighth” ace, but his first in competition.

It was the very hole on which Isao Aoki won a house at Gleneagles in an early World Match Play, but a BMW sports car is only on offer at the short 14th this week.

Donald led by three at one point, but while he bogeyed the seventh and ninth and then double-bogeyed the 15th Dougherty birdied four of the last seven holes.

Donald’s 72 left him four behind and alongside Paul Casey, who had also opened with a 67.

For Westwood it was a fifth successive missed cut and one which means he cannot make it into the world’s top 50 in time for the US Open.

Darren Clarke three-putted the last for 74, but quickly turned his mind to more important matters with his wife Heather back in hospital in her cancer fight.

The Ulsterman pulled out of this event after two rounds last year because of her condition.

Colin Montgomerie avoided an eighth missed cut in 10 starts by adding a 72 to his opening 73, but is 12 adrift of Howell.