Shane Lowry has a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the BMW PGA Championship.

The reigning Open champion followed up Thursday's 67 with a round of 65 on Friday to jointly head the field at Wentworth with Matt Fitzpatrick.

The pair are -12, and a shot clear of previous leader Tyrell Hatton.

Padraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell both ended the day two shots above the cut mark.

They go into the weekend on -1 following respective rounds of 71 and 70 on Friday afternoon.

Lowry had to battle against the elements on Thursday, but found the going much easier at the start of his second round, "This morning when we got out it was an absolutely beautiful morning.

"It was such a nice day to play golf. We got quite lucky - there was no wind, it was quite cold but the wind didn't pick up until maybe our last five or six holes.

"Thankfully I've taken advantage of it now, I've had a couple of decent scores."

Second round 65 for @ShaneLowryGolf ✍️#BMWPGA #RolexSeries

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 9, 2020

Lowry was among the later finishers on Thursday evening, ending the day a shot off the lead. He found being among the earlier starters on Friday worked to his advantage.

"Look, I've been doing it ten, eleven years now so you kind of get used to it.

"When you play well and shoot a good score on Thursday it is nice to have a quick turnaround, because you don't get to think about it.

"You just get to go back, have your quick bit of dinner, get to bed, watch Ireland lose and then get out this morning and shoot the best score you can.

"So after a disappointing last night, hopefully I can give everyone in Ireland something to cheer about this weekend."