Rory McIlroy needed birdie on the 18th hole in the second round to make the cut for the weekend at the Australian Open in Royal Melbourne.
The Masters champion, who won the tournament in 2013, carded a three-under 68 in the second round to finish inside the cut line and fall to two-under after two rounds.
After a fluky first round, the Northern Irish golfer recovered in the second round and made three birdies in the final four holes to move seven shots behind joint leaders Daniel Rodriguez and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who are at nine-under.
McIlroy, who is competing at the Australian Open for the first time since 2014, made a solid start on the front nine with a birdie and eight pars.
Returning to the clubhouse he made four more pars but faltered with a bogey on the par-five 14th, which included a rare aerial shot.
Birdies on the 15th, 17th and 18th holes helped him make the cut and steadily climb up the leaderboard.
McIlroy felt that the conditions had improved significantly from the difficult headwinds he had faced on the opening day.
“The headwind is coming from the south so it’s definitely playing like a different golf course, different clubs off the tees,” he told Sky Sports.
“Some different options. It was great, the course is getting stronger. It’s really making you think, especially with your approach shots.
“Obviously I haven’t had the best performances the last few days, but it was nice to finish the way I did.
“It wasn’t feeling great after the bogey on 14, but overall, a great finish and happy to be here for the weekend.”
The 36-year-old also believes a positive start to the third round could set them up to challenge for a second Stonehaven Cup.
“Seven isn’t too far, I think if I can go out there tomorrow morning and hit good shots, I can get myself back into the tournament.”
Elsewhere, Scotland’s Cameron Adam, competing in his second tournament as a professional, also made the cut with a second round of 64 and moved to one-under after two rounds.
Jeff Guan, two-time Australian amateur champion – who has become permanently blind in his left eye He missed the cut by finishing 112th.