Gary Hurley played his last eight holes in three-under par to make the cut with a shot to spare in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge.

Back in action after pulling out injured in last week's Andalucia - Costa del Sol Match Play 9, the West Waterford man shot a two-under 70 to go into the weekend tied for 38th on two-under par, ten strokes behind France's Thomas Linard.

Clandeboye's Jonny Caldwell shot a 71 to make it on the one-under par cut on the mark alongside Naas' Jack Hume, who also shot 71.

After taking 2017 off, it's Hume's first Challenge Tour weekend for 18 months.

Michael Hoey made a later charge for the line but missed the cut by one after a 71 while Stuart Grehan also produced a late birdie run — four in a row from the 13th — but then bogeyed the 17th for a 71 to also miss out by one.

Thomas Linard. Image by Ota Mrákota/Relmost

Ballymena's Dermot McElroy shot 72 but after an opening 74, his two-over total left him two shots outside the cut mark.

At the top of the leaderboard, Linard continued his love affair with Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora by carding a second round of 67 to take a one-shot lead at halfway.

It might have been a three-stroke lead but the 30-year-old double bogeyed his final hole, the ninth, to lead on 12-under from Korea's Minkyu Kim with Dane Joachim B. Hansen a shot further back.

Home favourite Filip Mruzek shot a six under par 66 to tie the lowest round ever by a Czech golfer since the event began in 2012.

Further history was made when a record five players from the host country survived the 36-hole cut.

D+D REAL Czech Challenge, Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora, Dříteč, Czech Republic (Par 72)

Detailed scores

132 T Linard (Fra) 65 67,

133 M Kim (Kor) 67 66,

135 J Hansen (Den) 66 69,

136 G Forrest (Sco) 68 68, A Michael (RSA) 68 68,

137 S Soderberg (Swe) 71 66, T Tree (Eng) 70 67, G Boyd (Eng) 70 67, A Arnaus (Esp) 71 66, R McGowan (Eng) 67 70, S Forsström (Swe) 67 70, J Rutherford (Eng) 69 68,

138 J Kunzenbacher (Ger) 67 71, J Lima (Por) 70 68, E España (Fra) 69 69,

139 N Johansson (Swe) 67 72, M Iten (Sui) 67 72, F Mruzek (Cze) 73 66, M Schneider (Ger) 66 73, B Hafthorsson (Isl) 69 70, M Schwab (Aut) 67 72, N Kimsey (Eng) 65 74, C Howie (Sco) 69 70, J Lando Casanova (Fra) 71 68,

140 R Saxton (Ned) 71 69, S Kim (USA) 70 70, J Singh Brar (Eng) 67 73, E Ferguson (Sco) 68 72, R Santos (Por) 67 73, C Mivis (Bel) 70 70,
141 A Korinek (Cze) 72 69, C Tarren (Eng) 72 69, R Langasque (Fra) 72 69, N Lemke (Swe) 71 70, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 73 68, E Dubois (Fra) 69 72, A Bernadet (Fra) 71 70,

142 A Meronk (Pol) 71 71, Gary Hurley (Irl) 72 70, D Van Driel (Ned) 71 71, M Millar (Aus) 72 70, D Suchan (Cze) 71 71, J Fahrbring (Swe) 73 69, J Cafourek (Cze) 70 72, B Stow (Eng) 73 69, M Lampert (Ger) 69 73, E Johansen (Nor) 71 71, T Cocha (Arg) 74 68, L Robinson (Eng) 73 69, J Girrbach (Sui) 67 75, O Lengden (Swe) 70 72,

143 O Clarke (Eng) 73 70, Jack Hume (Irl) 72 71, E Lipparelli (Ita) 70 73, M Galiano Aguilar (Esp) 69 74, H Leon (Chi) 69 74, M Gradecki (Pol) 72 71, J Marin (Esp) 67 76, J White (Eng) 74 69, E Di Nitto (Ita) 72 71, C Del Moral (Esp) 74 69, M Ovesen (Den) 71 72, Å Nilsson (Swe) 73 70, D Perrier (Fra) 70 73, N Marsh (Eng) 72 71, J Davidson (Wal) 72 71, Jonny Caldwell (Nir) 72 71, C Doak (Sco) 69 74, W Besseling (Ned) 70 73, D Papadatos (Aus) 71 72, O Edwards (Wal) 74 69, B Easton (RSA) 69 74, Š Zach (am) (Cze) 74 69,

CUT

144 J Abbott (Eng) 70 74, T Lewis (Eng) 72 72, R Enoch (Wal) 75 69, J Adams (Eng) 73 71, Michael Hoey (Nir) 73 71, S Piaget (Mon) 72 72, J Parry (Eng) 73 71, Stuart Grehan (Irl) 73 71, S Gregory (Eng) 74 70, J Sjöholm (Swe) 72 72, F Bergamaschi (Ita) 72 72, J Brun (Fra) 71 73,

145 D Berna Manzanares (Esp) 72 73, F Zucchetti (Ita) 71 74, G King (Eng) 71 74, J Sarasti (Esp) 70 75, S Matus (Cze) 73 72, S Robertshawe (Eng) 70 75, Ó Serna (Mex) 75 70, R Roussel (Fra) 73 72, L Vaisanen (Fin) 76 69, A Puchmelter (Svk) 72 73, J Senior (Eng) 73 72, V Østerby (Den) 75 70,

146 L Johnston (Sco) 74 72, J Zunic (Aus) 74 72, Dermot McElroy (Nir) 74 72, M Madsen (Den) 71 75, A Leitmannstetter (Ger) 71 75, M Perez (USA) 71 75, R Macintyre (Sco) 77 69, P Mejow (Ger) 76 70, I Cantero Gutierrez (Esp) 73 73, J Van Der Vaart (Ned) 76 70, T Yamac (am) (Tur) 72 74,

147 L Van Meijel (Ned) 73 74, P Gal (Cze) 74 73, P Valasek (Svk) 75 72, J McDonald (Sco) 74 73, J Doherty (Sco) 75 72, J Carlota (Por) 73 74, R Kakko (Fin) 73 74, A Ellingsberg (Nor) 70 77, R Gruber (Aut) 76 71, N Møller (Den) 72 75, A Velasco (Esp) 76 71,

148 O Lieser (Cze) 74 74, R Hjelm (Den) 74 74, M Carlsson (Swe) 76 72, A Wennstam (Swe) 76 72, D Boote (Wal) 74 74, E Cuartero Blanco (Esp) 74 74, S Einhaus (Ger) 71 77, F Maccario (Ita) 76 72,

149 J Bares (am) (Cze) 75 74,

150 S Tiley (Eng) 74 76, J Erkenbeck (USA) 74 76, T Santos Silva (Por) 75 75, R Van West (Ned) 74 76,

151 A Boasson (Isl) 75 76, A Ahokas (Fin) 78 73, M Pastor (Esp) 74 77,

152 P Tarver-Jones (Eng) 76 76, J Munro (Aus) 75 77, F Praegant (Aut) 76 76, P Dedek (Cze) 75 77, M Zapletal (am) (Cze) 70 82, J Zuska (am) (Cze) 73 79,

153 A Karlsson (Swe) 76 77, O Rozner (Fra) 76 77, C Sahlstrom (Swe) 76 77,

154 P Maddy (Eng) 76 78,

156 T Sedlacek (Cze) 75 81,

157 L Harper (Eng) 80 77, D Siwy (am) (Cze) 81 76,

159 S Wittmann (Aut) 79 80, L Tintera (Cze) 81 78,

161 J Friesz (Svk) 84 77,

165 B Kara (Tur) 83 82,

166 F Raza (am) (Cze) 87 79,
RTD J Maw (Eng) 76 RT, D Brown (Eng) 73 RT, Gavin Moynihan (Irl) RT