RORY McILROY shares the lead at the halfway stage of the Omega European Masters in Switzerland – the first qualifying event for next year’s Ryder Cup.

A two-under-par 69 was, somewhat surprisingly, good enough to put the US Open champion out in front on eight under alongside England’s Simon Dyson and Gary Boyd and Welshman Jamie Donaldson.

It came after overnight leader Nick Dougherty, only too aware that he had missed his previous 21 cuts going back to last November, added a 72 to his opening 63.

That dropped the 29-year-old to joint fifth, but only a stroke behind as he tries to reignite his career and save himself from a return to the qualifying school.

Struggling on bumpy greens McIlroy said: “I gave myself a lot of chances and wasn’t able to convert them, which was pretty frustrating. The greens were not as good as we got them yesterday morning and I got a bit tentative.”

McIlroy, back in action three weeks after injuring his arm against a tree root at the USPGA Championship, made an eagle two on the driveable seventh, but gave the strokes back with a seven at the long ninth, driving into trouble and then three-putting from only four feet.

His only deviation from par on the back nine was a birdie at the 516-yard 15th, and even there he missed a 14-foot eagle opportunity.

Dyson, trying to follow up his Irish Open success a month ago, shot 68 and commented: “I played solid again and if I keep on like that hopefully I will be right in the mix again. The game’s as good as it has ever been.”

Boyd (69) and Donaldson (66) are chasing their first European Tour titles, but while 24-year-old Boyd is in just his second full season on the circuit, 35-year-old Donaldson has played approaching 250 events going back a decade.

Dougherty admitted: “I had two things in my head – the tournament and getting the monkey of not making a cut off my back.”

Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood are only one and two shots back respectively.

Kaymer, round in 70 after double-bogeying the 16th when leading, was pleading for the sort of luck that playing partner Louis Oosthuizen had on the long 14th.

Last year’s British Open champion was heading out of bounds with his second shot when it struck a photographer. He birdied the hole and made the cut with nothing to spare at two under.

Westwood had a 69, while current British Open champion Darren Clarke – out of bounds for his double bogey on the fourth – fell back to four under with a 71.

Of the other Irish contenders, Peter Lawrie was just two shots behind the leaders after a fine 66. Michael Hoey just made the cut two-under following a second consecutive 70 but Gareth Maybin (71) missed the cut by three shots while Shane Lowry was another shot adrift following his 74.

Schwartzel and Kelly set the pace

MASTERS CHAMPION Charl Schwartzel and American Jerry Kelly fired five-under-par rounds of 66 to secure a share of the early clubhouse lead yesterday at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston.

South African Schwartzel picked up six birdies, his only bogey coming at the par-four fifth, while the highlight of Kelly’s round came with an eagle on the par-five 18th, having started on the back nine.

Graeme McDowell shot a level par 71 while Pádraig Harrington was three under after 15 holes.