Ryan Gerard leapfrogged Adam Scott and Filippo Celli to take a two-shot lead at the halfway stage of the BMW PGA Championship, as Rory McIlroy impressed on day two to finish four shots off the lead. Scott and Celli had climbed to take a share of the clubhouse lead midway through the second round at 10 under par, but Gerard surged in the afternoon, posting a flawless bogey-free seven-under 65 to finish his day at 12 under.

Aaron Rai, who co-led coming into Friday's round, finished tied with Manuel Elvira for fourth, while his playing partners, McIlroy and Ryan Fox, trailed them by one shot, sharing sixth place with five other players at eight under par. Some big names missed the cut on Friday at Wentworth, including European Ryder Cup stars Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood, who finished at three over on day two. The Spaniard endured a torrid two days at Wentworth, going 11 over par through 36 holes, to plummet to the worst 36-hole score of his career, and to last place on the leaderboard.

Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Fitzpatrick had at times been in danger of missing the cut too on Friday, but both produced remarkable finishes, with each chipping in on the 18th, to finish at four under par. Hatton would make an eagle with his chip from the greenside bunker, while Fitzpatrick clipped a wedge over the stream on the 18th to make birdie. Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed was, meanwhile, forced to withdraw due to injury after hitting his tee shot on the tenth, after the American had also endured a poor start to his front nine, going eight over par through nine holes.

In windy conditions at Wentworth, Gerard struggled to keep his ball on the fairway with his driver, but he was superb with his approach play, drilling a brilliant long iron into the green on the fourth to set himself up for birdie, before following up with another on the eighth. Back-to-back birdies on 12 and 13 would see him go within one shot of Scott and Celli, and he leapfrogged both players with an eagle on the par-five 17th, thanks to another long iron out of the rough. Gerard admitted he had tried to stay patient all day, and it paid off, with the 27-year-old wrapping up his round with a birdie on the 18th.