Damien McGrane leads by two shots

Ireland's Damien McGrane shot 69 after a strong finish in demanding conditions to take a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Indian Masters on Friday.

Tied second overnight after an opening 67, the 36-year-old McGrane reeled off four birdies on the back nine to go eight under for the tournament, co-sanctioned by the Asian and European tours.

Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell moved into joint second place, two shots behind, with South Africa's Hendrik Buhrmann and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin after the trio replicated their first-round scores of 69 on a chilly, windy day at the par-72 course.

South African world number four Ernie Els made the cut despite playing below his best. He shot 70 with an eagle on the par-five eighth hole and a birdie on the 18th where a quadruple bogey had put him three over on day one. The triple major winner is nine shots off the lead.

"I played a lot of good shots and gave myself a lot of birdie chances," McGrane told reporters. "It was very cold out there today and it really was a lot more difficult than yesterday."

Sweden's Mikhael Lundberg hit an eagle on the par-four 15th and matched the day's best score of 68 to lie fifth, three shots off the pace.

Thomas Bjorn overcame uncertain putting on the final holes to be tied sixth with five others at four under after an even-par round partnering Els and India's 2006 Asia number one Jeev Milkha Singh, who missed the cut applied at three over.

Joining the Dane were Dutchman Maarten Lafeber, Spain's Jose Manuel Lara, England's Benn Barham and local professionals Arjun Atwal and Digvijay Singh.

Many golfers struggled on the tight Delhi Golf Club Course, including Indian overnight leader Jyoti Randhawa who shot a 77.

Randhawa, the Asian Tour's Indian Open winner at the same venue for the past two years, carded a triple bogey on the sixth hole after his tee shot found the bushes and his fourth the bunker.