Birr's Richard Coughlan shot a second successive round of 71 to ensure his presence over the weekend in the Buick Challenge at the Callway Gardens resort in Pine Mountain in his on-going battle to retain his US Tour card.

Coughlan's back-to-back 71s for two under par 142 meant he survived the cut but the Irish rookie still has plenty of work to do over the final two rounds if he is to make serious financial inroads into the estimated $60,000 more he needs to keep his card.

Three birdies in a row from the 13th to 15th kept him in the tournament after he had stood one over for the tournament after 10 holes.

With the scoring generally tougher than the opening round - which featured two 63s from Fred Funk and Jim Carter - there wasn't much solace for Bray's Keith Nolan who followed up on his fine first round 69 with a 74 for a one under par midway total of 143.

Fred Funk scored a five-under-par 67 to open a three-stroke lead. Steve Flesch's 66 for 133 has him poised for the Tour rookie award.