Niall Kearney is looking forward to taking advantage of a golden opportunity after he added a 68 to his opening 65 to set the early pace at halfway in the BMW International Open in Munich.

The Royal Dublin man (33), was six-under overnight with two holes of his weather-delayed second round to complete this morning

He parred the eighth and birdied the par-five ninth for his 65 to share third place with Wade Ormsby and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura, one shot behind Sam Horsfield and Spain’s Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, who shot eight-under 64s.

Scores

Kearney continued his fine play in the second round, picking up a birdie at the fourth before adding three more in a row at the ninth, 10th and 11th to lead on 11-under.

He then bogeyed the par-three 17th but hit a stellar, 260-yard three-wood that cleared the water with little to spare at the par-five 18th, finishing just six feet from the front right pin.

He missed the eagle putt but tapped in for a 68 to lead by a shot in the clubhouse from Kawamura (70, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger (68) and France’s Adrien Saddier (69).

“I just feel really fresh,” Kearney told Sky Sports. “I have been home the last couple of weeks and I’ve had plenty of time to rest. I had been travelling prior to that quite a bit and it was great just to get home and recharge and then get back out.

“The course is fantastic and it suits my eye. It’s old-fashioned with avenues and it’s quite tight off the tee and I am really enjoying it.”

As for his approach to the last, which barely cleared the water, he laughed and said: “Yes it was a push. Three-wood. I felt as though I had a little bit too much club. I was aiming at the left half of the green knowing that it was going to be a really difficult putt and I just got under it a little bit and it finished up great but now it wasn’t my intended line.”

Playing out of Category 22 - players who made the cut but did not win cards at the Q-School - Kearney knows he has to take advantage of every start.

He’s played six events so far this season and while he made the first three cuts in the Canaries, he’s missed his last three cuts and lies 133rd in the Race to Dubai.

“Yes it’s a great opportunity,” he said. “This year has been great for me. I am getting lots of starts in really nice tournaments and I have obviously got to try and take the opportunities as well. I got off to a decent start down in Spain in the Canaries and I’m trying to march on from there really.”

Kearney admits he's inspired by Jonathan Caldwell's breakthrough win in the Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik & Annika two weeks ago.

The Royal Dublin professional (33) tied for fourth behind South African star Garrick Higgo in the Canary Islands Championship for his only top 10 on the European Tour so far.

But the rangy, two-time Irish PGA champion clearly has the game to do more.

"Of course," Kearney said when asked if Caldwell’s win was motivational. "It was great to see him doing it. Class."

As for his first round, he was pleased to birdie the 16th and 18th, then follow a birdie at the second with three in a row from the fourth.

"It's a lovely track," Kearney said. "I did nothing extraordinary, but I'm wedging it nicely and getting in relatively close."

Pádraig Harrington was three-over for the tournament in the second round with seven holes to play but while he eagled the par-four fourth and the par-five sixth to give himself a chance to make the cut he could not pick up another shot and looks likely to miss out on one-under after a 71.

His performance was still inspirational for Ryder Cup hope Bernd Wiesberger, who said he could learn a lot from the Dubliner’s never say die spirit and general demeanour.