Maybin sitting pretty after 66

Gareth Maybin has earned some serious wedge this season - €373,023 to be exact.

Maybin. Maybe?If he keeps playing the way he played in the Moravia Silesia Open on Friday, he’s a shoe in to make the top 60 money winners who will play the inaugural Dubai World Championship in November.

Ranked 52nd in the money list, he’s also an outside good bet to give Open hero Chris Wood (31st in the 'Race' and 19th in the Czech Republic so far) a run for his money in the Rookie of the Year stakes.

A second round, six under par 66 left “Maybster” tied for ninth on five under and just three strokes off the lead held by Graeme Storm and Steve Webster.

What Storm’s caddie, former Paul McGinley bagman Darren Reynolds, makes of it all is anyone's guess.

As for Maybin, the 28-year old wedged the Miguel Angel Jimenez designed Prosper Golf Resort to death.

After three birdies in his first five holes and a bogey six at the seventh, he holed a wedge from 116 yards for an eagle two at the eighth and picked up three birdies for just one dropped shot on the way home.

“I had about 116 yards and just hit a little soft wedge,” Maybin said. “When I hit it I thought it was going to be good and fortunately it just dropped in.

“Any time you have an eagle it is a pretty good bonus. All in all, pretty happy.....if you can have a pretty good wedge game there is a pretty good chance of shooting low....the rough is pretty severe.... I played pretty good ... and hit a lot of pretty good putts that didn’t go in... I feel I am hitting it pretty good off the tee and if I can keep on doing what I am doing, I will have a pretty good chance come Sunday.”

Just two other Irishmen made the cut, Michael Hoey (71 for -2) and Damien McGrane (71 for Even).

As for the other three - it wasn't pretty.

Shane Lowry failed to make the weekend by four shots after a level par 72. He finished on five over and will now head to Akron in Ohio with his new caddie Dermot Byrne for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. And to think he was playing the Mullingar Scratch Cup this time last year.

Gary Murphy’s grip on his card loosened further after he shot 72 for seven over with Peter Lawrie unsurprisingly limping home on 10 over after rounds of 79 and 75. After Dermot Byrne's hasty move to Lowry's bag, he now has plenty of time to find a replacement.