After 65 runs at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, Open champion Shane Lori split with Matthew Fitzpatrick for a club house lead.

Lori opened the scoring with 67 with the help of an old putter who was knocked out of the closet on Monday and dropped a shot from a shared lead by Tyrell Hutton, Justin Harding and Audrey Arnas.

Among the early beginners, he ended his journey with the Bardis on the 33rd, 12th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 4th, 5th and 7th with birds under 12 years of age.

“It’s funny, I decided to come here only on Sundays,” Lori said Sky Sports. “I’m not sure if I’m going to play or not.

“I went to pick up my clubs and saw this putter sitting there. I said I would look into it and bring it in for spin somehow and get a new grip on it.

“Then I went and played nine holes with my coach at the K Club on Monday evening. I put it on very nicely. So I brought it in, put a new grip on it and decided to use it. It has definitely worked so far.”

Fitzpatrick, an Englishman, was emotional until the eighth hole. He found water in the second shot with 63 runs under his age. He matched Lori’s 65 with a double boogie six and joined him in the 12th.

Before the final hole, Fitzpatrick’s card filled the fifth and fourth places with seven birds and one eagle.

Padreig Harrington washed the fourth hole and turned the seventh into a bird and moved down three in the second half of his second round.

Out of frustration at losing a cut at the Irish Open, Offley native Lori went backwards and had to avoid him well in the mix going into the weekend as he had not recorded any bogies in a round.

After spending most of the hurdles in the 2020 season in the United States, Lori is currently ranked 40th in the competition for Dubai.

“I think my game has been great for a while, but I’ve been struggling with green,” Lori said.

“It’s amazing when you dig a few holes. It’s a little better than I did this year.

“I miss a lot of trivial shots on the golf course, which affects me a lot, especially playing golf at the cut mark. I have not lost a lot of injuries, but playing golf at the cut mark is stressful and tough.

“When you go out and shoot a great score in the first round and get off to a good start in the second round as I did, it frees you up and allows you to play some golf.

“Thank you, that’s what I did. I hope I can continue this this weekend.”