Conor O’Rourke (IRL) hits his drive off the 10th tee during day two of the Northern Ireland Open at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort on September 4, 2020 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Conor O’Rourke spearheads the Irish challenge at the halfway stage of the Northern Ireland Open supported by The R&A at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort where the course and conditions proved testing over the opening two days.

O’Rourke carded a level-par 70 in his second round to be tied 19th on one-under heading into the weekend. The Naas professional is the only Irish player to dip under par but he is closely followed by JR Galbraith after the local favourite carded a pair of level par 70s. Niall Kearney is also around for the weekend after a 70 left the Royal Dublin pro on one-over.

“I played steady. Couple of birdies at the second and 12th and missed a good chance on 18 after two great shots onto the green but then three-putted. All in all, probably a fair reflection,” was O’Rourke’s take on his round.

“It was another good test out there today. Similar conditions to yesterday. The wind picks up and drops so quickly plus the rough is penal. If you are offline, you need a bit of luck to get any sort of shot at it. It’s a serious test.

“I’m looking forward to the weekend, try and throw off the shackles and have a crack at it.

“There’s not a huge amount to play in for the rest of the season, it’s almost week to week,” added O’Rourke. “I’ll focus on rest of this week and see if I can get anything off the back of it. Other than that, it will be EuroPro, Final Q-School in October. Quiet year. We are definitely not over-golfed that’s for sure.”

Galbraith needed a strong finish with two birdies in the last three holes to make sure of making the cut and is also ready to push on and see what the weekend holds for him.

“I was two over with three to play but managed to birdie 16 and 18, I’m happy to finish well,” said the 26-year-old. “It was another tough day, breezy with some torrential showers. We got caught with a bad one on the 15th.

“The rough is so juicy you just have to keep it straight. If you’re offline at all you’re making bogey or worse. It was a pretty up and down day for me, seemed like I made birdie then gave it back on the next hole, one of those days,” added Galbraith, who mixed five birdies with as many bogeys.

“Anything can happen over the weekend around this course. I’ve done the hard part making it into the weekend, so I’ll just go and free wheel. I’m playing well, no reason why I can’t make a run at it. Nothing to lose.”

Enrico di Nitto (ITA) pictured teeing off on during day two of the Northern Ireland Open at Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort on September 4, 2020 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

As for Tournament Ambassador Michael Hoey, he has the weekend off and was left to rue an untimely nine yesterday and maintains he is just not playing enough competitive golf. The 41-year-old signed for a level par 70 but the damage was done with yesterday’s opening 76.

“I was holding it together quite well yesterday, but just haven’t played enough. When I finished with a nine yesterday, that was game over. Today I got to two under then fell apart again towards the end. Just lack of golf for me,” was Hoey’s typically honest assessment.

“I haven’t really played any golf this year. It’s too hard a game. Little things like reading the line, club selection in the wind, pre-shot routine. Golf totally beats you up unless you are on top of it.

“I also found it hard caddying for myself. Feel it in the legs, physically it’s tough doing everything. Nothing for me now until June 2021,” added Hoey, still managing a joke. “I need to be playing, I can’t be practicing all day like these guys, I’m too old.”

Only three of the 16 Irish players who started the week made it into the weekend. Amateur Tom McKibbin (73) gave another good account of himself around Galgorm but just came up short on four-over, while Galgorm Castle member Josh Hill (76) was the second amateur in the field and finished 12-over.

Leading disability golfer Brendan Lawlor dropped back after a 79 left the Dundalk professional on 13-over, the same mark as Paul McBride and Robin Dawson.

Italy's Enrico Di Nitto leads at the halfway stage on six-under after carding a second round 66. He leads by one from Iceland’s Gudmundur Kristjansson (67) and England's Robert Dinwiddie (66).

Di Nitto, who earned a Challenge Tour card for 2020 via the Satellite Alps Tour last year, leads a Challenge Tour event for the first time but will try to approach tomorrow’s third round with the same mindset as usual.

“It’s really, really tough out there because of the wind and some rain,” he said. “We’re not too used to it in Italy so it’s kind of new. The tee shot is pretty important here. I played pretty well from the tee and I holed great putts, so I’m pretty happy with that.

“The change was the birdie on 12. It was raining really heavily and I had a putt for birdie. I holed it so that changed my mindset a little bit and that was it.

“I’ll try not to think too much about the lead. It’s new for me on the Challenge Tour, I think it’s the first time, so it will be tough. I’ll try to think shot-by-shot and I’m just going to see what’s going on.”

The 27-year-old is looking to emulate countryman Francesco Laporta, who was crowned Road to Mallorca Number One last year after winning twice in his final three events of the year, including the Challenge Tour Grand Final.

“I admire Francesco because of his attitude,” he said. “I love seeing him around the course because he has a brutal mentality. I just think if he can do it, then why not?”

The tied-second duo of Dinwiddie and Kristjansson lead a group of five players in tied fourth on four under par, including Englishman Ryan Evans who posted a five-under-par round of 65. He’s joined in a tie for fourth by Belgium’s Christopher Mivis, English duo Bradley Moore and Alfie Plant, and Denmark’s Martin Ovesen.

The low round of the day – and the week – went to England’s Richard Mansell. After posting a five-over par 75 in the first round, he roared into contention with a bogey-free seven-under-par 63 on Day Two to sit on two under par, four shots off the lead. A total of 64 players survived the cut of three over par.

Northern Ireland Open Supported by The R&A, Galgorm Castle Golf Club, Ballymena (Par 70)

Detailed scores

134 E Di Nitto (Ita) 68 66,

135 G Kristjansson (Isl) 68 67, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 69 66,

136 B Moore (Eng) 67 69, A Plant (Eng) 67 69, M Ovesen (Den) 68 68, C Mivis (Bel) 69 67, R Evans (Eng) 71 65,

137 B Hellgren (Swe) 68 69, S Tarrio (Esp) 69 68, B Neil (Sco) 70 67,

138 J Quesne (Fra) 66 72, T Koivisto (USA) 67 71, K Johannessen (Nor) 69 69, R Petersson (Swe) 70 68, B Rusch (Sui) 71 67, M Bullen (Eng) 72 66, R Mansell (Eng) 75 63,

139 D Young (Sco) 68 71, C Ross (Sco) 68 71, Conor O'Rourke (Irl) 69 70, S Manley (Wal) 69 70, C Robb (Sco) 71 68, W Enefer (Eng) 71 68, A Wilson (Eng) 71 68, J Fahrbring (Swe) 71 68,

140 C Berardo (Fra) 67 73, C Cannon (Eng) 68 72, D Kemmer (USA) 68 72, N Kimsey (Eng) 69 71, John Ross Galbraith (NIr) 70 70, M Ford (Eng) 70 70, G Higgo (RSA) 72 68, S Fernandez (Esp) 73 67,

141 B Talbot (Eng) 68 73, J Allan (Eng) 69 72, M Galiano Aguilar (Esp) 69 72, N Johansson (Swe) 70 71, R Van West (Ned) 70 71, Niall Kearney (Irl) 71 70, A Knappe (Ger) 71 70, J Dantorp (Swe) 72 69, S Forsstrom (Swe) 74 67, L Nemecz (Aut) 74 67,

142 M Lundberg (Swe) 68 74, J Grenville-wood (Eng) 69 73, T Sloman (Eng) 70 72, A Willey (Eng) 70 72, J Floydd (Eng) 70 72, P Langfors (Swe) 70 72, H Ellis (Eng) 71 71, H Sturehed (Swe) 71 71, J Axelsen (Den) 71 71, D Boote (Wal) 72 70, G Bloor (Eng) 72 70, M Waite (Eng) 73 69, A Bjornsson (Isl) 73 69, S Gregory (Eng) 74 68,

143 A Palmer (Eng) 70 73, D Borda (Esp) 71 72, H Magnus (Isl) 73 70, A Kopp (Aut) 73 70, M Orrin (Eng) 74 69, M Eggenberger (Sui) 78 65

Missed cut

144 G Castagnara (Ita) 70 74, M Elvira (Esp) 71 73, Tom McKibbin (Am) (NIr) 71 73, E Dubois (Fra) 71 73, G Bourdy (Fra) 72 72, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 72 72, F Lacroix (Fra) 73 71, C Sahlstrom (Swe) 73 71, M Wiegele (Aut) 74 70

145 H Arkenau (Ger) 70 75, S Towndrow (Eng) 70 75, J Sandborg (Swe) 72 73, Ronan Mullarney (Irl) 73 72, N Kristensen (Den) 73 72, Gary Hurley (Irl) 73 72

146 J Sainz (Esp) 73 73, J Girrbach (Sui) 74 72, Michael Hoey (NIr) 76 70, H Woan (Eng) 76 70, J Harrison (Eng) 78 68

147 D Quinones (USA) 71 76, V Riu (Fra) 71 76, S Matus (Cze) 72 75, A Zemmer (Ita) 73 74, R De SoUSA (Sui) 78 69,

148 E Walker (Sco) 68 80, D Gavins (Eng) 70 78, J Wrisdale (Eng) 71 77, G King (Eng) 73 75, J Kunzenbacher (Ger) 74 74, B Hutchinson (Eng) 74 74, B Gill (Eng) 76 72

149 David Carey (Irl) 71 78, L Owen (Eng) 72 77, C Braeunig (Ger) 72 77, Stuart Grehan (Irl) 73 76, Conor Purcell (Irl) 74 75, J Vecchi Fossa (Ita) 75 74, N Moller (Den) 76 73, H Du Plessis (RSA) 78 71

150 T Clements (Eng) 71 79, F Maccario (Ita) 72 78, Dermot McElroy (NIr) 76 74

151 B Follett-Smith (Zim) 73 78, A John (Ger) 76 75, Ruaidhri McGee (Irl) 76 75, F Mory (Fra) 77 74, R Harmer (Eng) 77 74, E Lipparelli (Ita) 80 71

152 Josh Hill (Am) (NIr) 76 76, J Hassan (Eng) 80 72

153 Brendan Lawlor (Irl) 74 79, S Henry (Sco) 75 78, Robin Dawson (Irl) 76 77, Paul McBride (Irl) 79 74

154 M Penge (Eng) 70 84

155 C Knipes (Eng) 74 81, S Ferreira (Por) 79 76

157 J Ochoa (Esp) 82 75

158 M Rush (USA) 80 78

162 F Daux (Fra) 81 81

163 M Grassotti (Swe) 80 83

WD J Thomson (Eng) 78 Wd

RT J Kolbing (Ger) 78 Rt, M Decottignies-lafon (Fra) Rt