James Morrison was left hoping the KLM Open might be the “big week” he has been waiting for after playing his way into an encouraging position at the halfway stage in the Netherlands.
The Englishman backed up a flawless opening five-under-par 66 with a 68 on Friday to sit two shots off the clubhouse lead held by Finland's Mikko Korhonen.
Morrison is making his 12th appearance at one of the DP World Tour's founding events, with his lone top-ten finish in that time coming when the tournament was last held at The International in 2019.
While he has not been in title contention so far this season, the 39-year-old is feeling good about his chances as he looks to end a nine-year wait for his third DP World Tour title.
"I finished fourth here in 2019 so it is a golf course that has got good memories for me," he said.
"I think I have missed [just] three cuts in the last year or so, so I am playing really well.
"That big week has just never been far away, so hopefully it might be this week. I am happy with where I am at so we will see what happens."
Morrison, who started his second round at the tenth, quickly made a birdie at the short 11th, before a series of three birdies in a row from the 14th lifted him to nine under.
He bounced back from his first dropped shot of the day at the par-three 17th with back-to-back gains either side of his turn and, despite three bogeys in his next six holes, he finished positively with a birdie at the par-five eighth.
“I’m happy. When you come to a golf course that you know suits your game and then to go and back it up is even nicer,” he said.
“You come in here and know that you can play well on this golf course and to do it is really satisfying.
"When I see a golf course that I know if you hit it straight you get benefited for that then that is always a golf course that I feel suits my game whereas most courses the last few years that we play suit the bombers.
"As much as I would love to say I am a bomber, I am not a bomber so when I get to a golf course like this where driving is the key for the week."
Fellow Englishman Ross Fisher was also at eight under after carding a second consecutive 67.
The 43-year-old won this event in 2007 for the first of his five DP World Tour titles and birdied three of his last four holes as he looks for a first victory since 2014.
"The game has felt really, really good unfortunately results just haven’t gone my way," he said.
"Belgium was a step in the right direction, the first two days played great and was never looking like making a bogey and then the weekend just slowed down massively.
"You know that is a positive start, two really solid rounds and hopefully building for something special on the weekend."
