EUROPEAN TOUR: PAUL McGINLEY continued to make great strides up the leaderboard on the second day of the €2 million Omega European Masters but it was a day of frustration and what might have been for Rory McIlroy, who has it all to do over the weekend in the Swiss Alps.

McGinley has shown minor glimpses of his former self in recent times and yesterday the Dubliner covered the Crans-sur-Sierre course in a bogey-free 68 to get within two shots of the overnight leader Thomas Aiken.

McGinley might still be a lowly 129th in the Race to Dubai standings but some shoots of recovery could be seen at the Scottish and British Open in July, while he finished tied 26th in the KLM Open in the Netherlands a fortnight ago.

If the 42-year-old continues in a similar vein over the weekend he will have started the process of qualifying for next year’s European Ryder Cup team in the best possible manner as this week is the first counting event.

The 2002 Ryder Cup hero recorded his first birdie at the ninth to turn in one-under 35 before further birdies came at the 15th and 18th for a halfway aggregate of eight-under 134, two behind South African Aiken who holds the outright lead on 10-under after an impressive 64 at the high altitude venue.

The highlight of Aiken’s round came with an eagle three at the par five 14th but he also backed it up with six birdies and just the one dropped shot at the second to lead by one from Wales’ Bradley Dredge (65) and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez (68).

It was more a day for the seasoned Irish campaigners rather than the young guns as Darren Clarke kept in touch with his friend McGinley with a matching 68 for a five-under total at the midpoint.

A trio of Irish players, Graeme McDowell (70), Gareth Maybin (68) and McIlroy, were bunched a shot further back on four-under, with McIlroy surely the most frustrated when resigned to a level par 71 after several errors off the tee proved costly.

Having started at the 10th McIlroy moved into contention on six-under with birdies at the 13th and 15th. He traded bogey with birdie at the 18th and first before his round unravelled.

The 20-year-old drove it into the trees on the short sixth and could only manage bogey, but matters got worse at the next where he pushed his drive right and out of bounds. It would cost last year’s runner-up a double-bogey at a 331-yard par four more accustomed to offering up birdies and eagles rather than dropped shots.

“If 10-under is still the best tonight (Friday) I am definitely not out of it, but I need to eliminate stupid holes,” said McIlroy, who at least rallied with a birdie at the ninth, his final hole.

Should McIlroy go one better than last year come tomorrow evening it would send him to the top of the European money list, but he knows he’ll need to improve over the weekend to erase the memories of missing that 18-inch putt in last year’s play-off to gift Jean Francois Lucquin the title.

Shane Lowry battled for a second round 69 but at one-under the Irish Open winner was one shot outside the cut mark which fell at two-under 140.

Gary Murphy (72) and Michael Hoey (74) were both well off the pace as they finished one-over and and three-over respectively.

Dredge holds dreams of playing the Ryder Cup on home soil at Celtic Manor next year and the Welshman has given himself a great boost at the start of the points race.

Back on the course where he had his last win three years ago, the 36-year-old was talking up a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

“The Ryder Cup is my goal – that’s it – and while I’ve had a disappointing year so far the season starts here.”