Graeme McDowell emerged from an hour long fog delay to also end a run of two missed cuts and remain in contention at the French Open on the outskirts of Versailles.
McDowell posted his second straight two-under par 69 to move to four under par to share fifth place and just two strokes behind Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti (68) who heads the field on six under par.
Three players – The Danish duo Soren Kjeldsen (68) and his in-form compatriot Thomas Bjorn (69) along with South African Richard Sterne (69) – are next best on five under par.
Graeme McDowell watches the progress of his drive down the final hole on day two of the French Open. (Photo – David Lloyd/www.golffile.ie)
McDowell arrived in France having missed the halfway cut in successive events, the US Open at Merion and last week’s Irish Open at Carton House.
And with the current World No. 9s next event being the July 18th commencing British Open it is a welcome return to form for the year’s only player to have won on both sides of the Atlantic.
“When you change your technique, you have got to bed it in before you can trust it,” said McDowell.
“It’s been a rough couple of months for me and the key here is to get into contention over the weekend and get my competitive juices flowing again.”
McDowell posted three birdies in his round at the sixth, 10th and 14th holes, and with only bogey at the eighth hole.
“I have been controlling the ball well and while I have not go the putted revved up again, it’s all going in the right direction,” he added.
“I have played well hitting fairways and greens and the ball has been doing what it is supposed to do.
“That has been important here because if you don’t hit the fairway here you can get really, really punished.”
Fellow Ulsterman Gareth Shaw has taken full advantage of his late call-up into the event posting scores of 72 and 69 for a top-20 position at one-under par.
The 27-year old Belfast golfer earned a place in the event having finished a superb fifth in last week’s Irish Open however the Belfast golfer was left ruing a 16th hole double bogey.
And visiting American Matt Kuchar, and the highest world ranked player in the field, posted four bogeys without a birdie in a score of 75 to be assured of making the cut at three over par.
