James Morrison rolled back the years to post a bogey-free four under par round of 66 and take a three-shot lead into the weekend of the Blot Play9.
The two-time DP World Tour winner carded four birdies to reach ten under par at Golf Bluegreen de Pléneuf Val André, three ahead of Belgian Matthis Besard in second.
The 40-year-old made the perfect start to his second round with a birdie at the first before another gain at the seventh saw him make the turn two under for the day. He went on to make two more birdies coming in, including at the picturesque par-five 11th, to climb into pole position in Brittany.
“I’m very happy considering my recent results,” he said. “It’s been a nice change in form over the first two days, and the game seems to be coming together now. I want to keep it going heading into the weekend now and the golf course suits my eye really nicely.
“I’m not the longest but the golf course is very firm, and I hit a four-iron down the last there 285 yards. There are some real tough tee shots on this course and my strength is hitting the ball straight so the harder off the tee the better for me.”
The Englishman, who graduated from the HotelPlanner Tour in 2009, lost his DP World Tour card in 2024 after 15 successive seasons on the Tour but he is hoping for a quick return via the Road to Mallorca Rankings this year.
“I’ve been in a bit of a mental whirlwind over the last few months, but I’ve got into a better headspace recently and a good result here could change my year pretty quickly,” he said.
“It would mean everything to get my DP World Tour card back. I’ve been through a lot over the last few years and just to get back to playing out here is a big thing for me. I’m starting to enjoy my golf again and I’m just going to focus on that and see what happens.”
Overnight leader Max Kennedy shares third position with Sweden’s Christofer Rahm and German Philipp Katich on four under par, while Swede Hugo Townsend and French duo Oihan Guillamoundeguy and Robin Sciot-Siegrist a shot further back in sixth.
