Nick Dougherty was battling to keep his name at the top of the leaderboard when the Omega European Masters continued in Switzerland.
Two ahead after an opening 63 after 21 successive missed cuts going back to last November, Dougherty was caught first by Gary Boyd and then by Simon Dyson.
Two birdies and two bogeys in his first 13 holes kept the 29 year old Englishman at eight under par in what was a huge day for him - not just to make his first cut of the season, but also to re-ignite his hopes of keeping his European Tour card at the end of the year.
Boyd levelled with an opening eagle, but then fell back again with three bogeys in the next four holes.
Irish Open winner Dyson - one of Dougherty's closest friends on the circuit and someone who has helped him through his recent nightmare - turned in 33 and became joint leader when he added another birdie at the long first.
Some of the sport's biggest names were in the chasing pack.
Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer, sixth and fifth in the Official World Golf Ranking respectively, had both opened with six under 65s and were among the later starters on day two.
World Number Two Lee Westwood and Open Champion Darren Clarke resumed on four under.
Like Dougherty, Westwood mixed two birdies with two bogeys over his first 12 holes and was in joint tenth place, while Clarke climbed to sixth place on five under by hitting back from two early bogeys with birdies on the 15th, first and second.
The big move of the morning came from Dougherty's playing partner Marc Warren. The Scot, having started with only a 75 to be down in 135th place, eagled the first and then had five birdies in six holes from the third to turn in 29.
Warren bogeyed the 12th, but with another birdie on the next was up into a tie for 21st spot on three under.
