Peter Lawrie will be the only Irish representative in the final two rounds of the Johnnie Walker Classic after the Dubliner posted a second round 68 to lie six shots off the lead at the DLF Golf and Country Club in New Delhi, India.
Lawrie was level par after his first round but managed five birdies today, with a bogey on the fifth the only blemish on his card. Indian Shiv Kapur shares the lead with Australian Onho Park.
Next best of the Irish was Graeme McDowell whose 73 left him one-over par and three shots off the cut.
Paul McGinley failed to recover from yesterday's 74, despite a 72 today, and bowed out on two over.
Damien McGrane will be the most disappointed after his recent good form saw him finish runner-up in the Indian Masters in Delhi two weeks ago. The Meathman shot a 75 today which left him on five-over-par after yesterday's 74.
A second 68 means world number five Adam Scott trails his compatriot and Kapur by just two shots.
Despite his progress, however, the 27-year-old Scott felt he was lacking the fluency he showed yesterday.
"I really didn't swing the club as well today as I did yesterday," he told reporters. "Although my shots weren't too bad, it just wasn't feeling quite as sharp as yesterday."
Scott won the tournament in 2005 and is seeking to emulate Tiger Woods and Ernie Els as a two-time winner of the tournament which is being played in India for the first time.
Round of the day went to Englishman Philip Archer whose 64 left him level with Scott, Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and his compatriot Graeme Storm.
Archer began the day on level par but surged up the leaderboard after an electric round on the 7,156-yard Arnold Palmer-designed layout with an eagle and six birdies.
"I don't like to say it was easy but it felt very easy with no stress," said the 35-year-old who is eyeing his first victory on the European Tour after three runner-up finishes last season.
"I hit it close a few times and made a few decent 15 footers. When you hole them and knock your six footers in, it feels easy."
Indian Jyoti Randhawa shot a 65 to move to nine under alongside little-known Japanese golfer Taichiro Kiyota.
The 27-year-old from Osaka, who only has two top-10 finishes on the Asian Tour to his name, opened with a four-under-par 68 yesterday and maintained his momentum by firing five birdies through his first 15 holes of a flawless card.
Fiji's Vijay Singh moved to six-under-par with a 68 and he's in a tie with India's Jeev Milkha Singh.
Defending champion Anton Haig of South Africa fired a second successive 71 to reach two under.
Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie will not be around for the weekend though. Poulter missed the halfway cut of two under 142 despite firing a valiant 68 to finish on even par while Montgomerie's 76 left him on six over.
