Ruaidhri McGee will head into the weekend just outside the top-10 and only four shots off the lead at the Hopps Open de Provence on the Challenge Tour.
The Derry man, who opened with a 72 on day one, followed it up with an excellent four-under 68 in his second round that included five birdies and one bogey to get up to tied-12th at four-under-par.
McGee is currently projected to move to 44th in the Road to Mallorca standings, with the top-20 earning promotion to the DP World Tour next season, and a big result this weekend would do him the world of good.
The 31-year-old is not out of the running yet, either, as he reaches the midway point only four shots back of leaders Daniel Hillier and Bailey Gill.
New Zealand’s Hillier is looking to go back-to-back on the Challenge Tour and gave himself a great chance after a six-under 66 in his second round which took him to eight-under-par, a score matched by England’s Gill after a 69.
The pair’s lead is two shots, with Sweden’s Oscar Lengden, South Africa’s Bryce Easton and the Netherlands’ Robbie van West all at six-under-par.
A level-par 72 saw Tom McKibbin in for the weekend as well, the Holywood teen sitting at one-over-par in a share of 50th, while Conor Purcell is a shot further back at two-over following a 72 of his own.
Paul Dunne (+8), Gavin Moynihan (+9) and John Murphy (+13) all missed out on the weekend after they struggled mightily in their second rounds.
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