Former winner Graeme McDowell lies two shots off the lead at the halfway stage of the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.
McDowell, who lifted the title in the Dominican Republic in 2019, added a 69 to his opening 70 in testing conditions to share sixth place on five under par.
Paraguay’s Fabrizio Zanotti, Puerto Rico’s Rafael Campos and American Justin Suh share the lead on seven under, with Tyler Duncan and Joel Dahmen a stroke off the pace.
“It was really important to get out here this morning and try and post a score, get back in the tournament a little bit,” former US Open champion McDowell said.
“I’m not sure I’ve played the golf course this tricky and this difficult. We know it can blow down here, but I think this wind direction’s specifically tricky on this golf course, especially those three finishing holes.”
Belgium’s Thomas Pieters was alongside McDowell on five under, with former Masters champion Danny Willett four under after a second successive 70.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington struggled to a 75 to fall back to level par alongside fellow Irishman Seamus Power and England’s Tom Lewis.
