A bit of advice from Darren Clarke seems to be serving Gregory Bourdy very well at the Irish Open.
The Frenchman followed up his opening 65 with a five-under-par 67 to take his total to 12 under par at the halfway mark, one shot clear of England's Mark Foster, who had a 67 of his own.
Bourdy, a stablemate of Clarke's, played a practice round with the Northern Irishman at Royal Portrush on Tuesday.
"I saw him on a tee and asked if it was possible to share a game," said the 30-year-old. "He is with the same manager, so I think that helped to get the right answer.
"Darren has been great with me. He gave me a lot of advice and maybe that gave me some confidence for the week."
Asked what Clarke's advice was, he replied: "I'm going to keep this for me!
"It was good for the lines on the tee shots. After just two or three times you can see better to know exactly the way you have to play."
Italian Lorenzo Gagli and England's Paul Waring share third place on 10 under with Irishman Padraig Harrington, who shot a second successive 67 as he hunts a second Irish Open title.
"I'm playing a game I'm not familiar with," he said. "I'm hitting far more fairways and greens than normal and I know I could play better if I trusted it a bit more.
"I've shortened my swing significantly and I didn't really put myself in any trouble. It was as stress-free a 67 as you could get in these conditions."
The three Northern Irish stars who have brought the spectators out in their droves this week are all in a decent position, but have a lot of ground to make up.
Rory McIlroy shot a 69 to finish on five alongside Graeme McDowell, who had a 68. They are seven shots adrift with 36 holes left to play. Darren Clarke is a shot further back on four under after a 69.
golf365.com