Former Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley continued his excellent form with a second round 70 to sit two shots off the halfway lead at the BMW International Open.
The 45 year old Irishman kept alive his hopes of ending a seven-year title drought in windy Cologne by join English pair Chris Wood and Danny Willett and Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti on nine under par, two adrift of Swede Joel Sjöholm.
"It was much tougher - a real good test of golf," said former Ryder Cup hero McGinley, who has finished sixth in Wales and seventh in Korea in the last six weeks.
"You had to work the ball and it's very important to keep it on the fairways."
He had an eagle on his card for the second day running, making a 20 foot putt at the long third before finding the target as well with a 20 foot birdie attempt three holes later.
Explaining his rekindled form McGinley added: “I've played less of a schedule this year, which has given me a little appetite.
“You play well and it gives you confidence. It's been a while since I've played a schedule like that. I played really well in Korea and that gave me a boost and then obviously decent at Wentworth and then Wales.
“The new three wood, it gives me an extra 15 or so yards which makes a lot of the par fives on in two which they weren't before.”
