Rory McIlroy made three birdies in his final four holes of the second round to advance to the weekend at the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne.
The Masters champion, who won this tournament in 2013, carded a second-round three-under 68 to finish inside the cut line and move to two under after two rounds.
After an up-and-down first round, the Northern Irish golfer recovered in the second to move seven shots behind co-leaders Daniel Rodrigues and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who are at nine under.
McIlroy, playing at the Australian Open for the first time since 2014, had one birdie and eight pars in a strong start on the front nine.
He made four more pars on the way back to the clubhouse before faltering at the par-five 14th with a bogey that included a rare overhead shot.
A birdie at the 15th, 17th and 18th helped him make the cut and steadily climb the rankings.
McIlroy felt the conditions were much improved from the challenging crosswinds he faced on the first day.
“Opposite wind, coming from the south, so it definitely played like a different golf course, with different clubs on the tees,” he told Sky Sports.
“A few different options. It was great, the course is firming up. It makes you think a lot, especially with the approach shots.
“It’s definitely not my best work over the last few days, but it was good to finish the way I did.
“It wasn’t looking great after the bogey on the 14th, but overall it was a great finish and I’m excited to be here for the weekend.”
The 36-year-old also believes a positive start to the third round can set him up to challenge for a second Stonehaven Cup.
“Seven o’clock isn’t that far away, I think if I can go there tomorrow morning and get a good one I can get myself back into the tournament.”
Elsewhere, Scotland’s Cameron Adam, playing in only his second tournament as a professional, also managed to qualify with a second round 64 to move to one under after two rounds.
Two-time Australian amateur champion Jeff Guan – who is permanently blind in his left eye – missed the cut while finishing tied for 112th.
