Michael Hoey produced a much improved second round at the Shenzhen International but still sits 10 shots off the nine under par lead of America's Peter Uihlein at Genzon Golf Club.
Ballymoney’s Hoey went into the second day two over par after an opening round of 74 but birdies on the second and seventh followed by a very steady back nine saw him card a one under par round of 71, leaving him one over for the tournament and tied for 49th place.
Damien McGrane had been the pick of the Irish contingent in the opening round but he struggled in his second, with four bogeys on the back nine, including an ugly run on the 14th, 15th and 16th, seeing him slip to four over for the tournament and into a share of 73rd spot on the leaderboard.
McGrane is a shot clear of Peter Lawrie, who followed his first round 74 with a 75, while Kevin Phelan is a shot further back on six over par after carding a 76 in which he failed to birdie a hole.
Deposed US Masters champion Bubba Watson’s chances of another European Tour win are looking slim after he carded a two over par round of 74 to leave him level par for the championship and nine shots off the lead.
