Colm Moriarty in an archive image from 2009. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Just ask Colm Moriarty, who is enjoying a stunning return to the Challenge Tour after a nine-month sabbatical.

The 34-year old walked away from golf late last year complaining that he was becoming “institutionalised” but after accepting an invitation to the Scottish Hydro Challenge, the Glasson professional added a stunning, six under 65 to his opening 69 to lied just four shots off the lead at halfway.

While Rathmore’s Alan Dunbar is the leading Irish player, just a shot behind pacesetter Jens Dantorp of Sweden after following his first round 62 with a 69, it was Moriarty’s story that caught the imagination.

The Athlone man admitted that he had become disillusioned with the game after nine seasons on the Challenge Tour attempting to make make it to the European Tour.

However, he has returned fresh and hungry for success and Moriarty is right in contention for a second Challenge Tour title at Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club after carding a superb six under par round of 65 to climb to eight under.

“I was hitting it pretty close all day and I had quite a few chances,” said Moriarty, who is tied for 14th. “You are not going to get the course out there any easier. Once you drive the ball straight on the tricky holes you are going to create a lot of chances on the other holes if you are playing well.

“I do feel a lot better this week coming back. I probably have a different perspective or attitude. When you do anything for a long time you get a bit institutionalised, it gets a bit mundane, week in, week out when you are not playing well and not enjoying it and I definitely feel a bit different now.

“I just was not enjoying it last year and I decided to hang up the clubs for a while. I played very little golf for six months. I played one game a month, maybe, and I did not do any practice until two weeks ago. I got married, which took up a fair bit of my time.

“I got an invite for this week and thankfully I played quite nicely. It has been nice out there, it is lovely up here when the weather is nice.”

Dantorp finished with a flourish as four birdies in the final five holes earned him a six under par second round of 65 and the outright lead.

On another day of low scoring in perfect conditions at a sun-kissed Macdonald Spey Valley Golf Club, the two leaders from the first round - Byeong-hun An and Dunbar - unsurprisingly failed to repet the fireworks of their course-record 62s.

Dantorp fired a second successive 65 to take the lead but 2012 Amateur champion Dunbar was not too disappointed with his two under par round of 69.

“I think everybody knows that if you shoot a low score like a 62 it’s unlikely that you’re going to play as well the following day so I was happy to get round in two under,” Dunbar said.

“I hit a lot of good shots and I don’t think I played much better or worse than the first round, I just holed some putts on the first day.

“Today was about going out and keeping it steady and solid and I did that. I made a couple of birdies to start off and that settled me in a little bit and I held on well. It’s tough coming in on that back nine. I just had one bogey on 15 but I had hit two good shots in there and three putted from the back so apart from that it was good.”

Galgorm Castle’s Gareth Shaw continued his run of good form, carding a three under 68 to share 31st on five under with Dubliner Niall Kearney also through to the weekend on three under after a 69.

The rest of the Irish missed the cut with Paul Cutler two shots outside the mark as two late birdies in a one over 72 failed to undo the damage of four bogeys in eight holes in the middle of his round.

Peter O’Keeffe was always on the defensive after an opening 74 and a double bogey at the eighth killed off his hopes as he shot a 72.

Scores:

130 J Dantorp (Swe) 65 65,

131 A Dunbar (Nir) 62 69,

132 A Pavan (Ita) 65 67, D Stewart (Sco) 65 67, G Cambis  (Fra) 66 66, B An (Kor) 62 70, T Remkes (Ned) 66 66, S Walker (Eng) 67 65, J Doherty  (Sco) 66 66, T Murray (Eng) 67 65,

133 E Dubois (Fra) 66 67, S Garcia (Esp) 63 70, D Frittelli (RSA) 65 68,

134 T Nørret (Den) 68 66, J Carlsson (Swe) 66 68, C Moriarty (Irl) 69 65, S Tiley (Eng) 67 67, T Hatton (Eng) 65 69,

135 J Huldahl (Den) 68 67, M Lorenzo-Vera  (Fra) 67 68, K Ferrie (Eng) 67 68, A Velasco (Esp) 66 69, N Lemke (Swe) 65 70,

136 P Edberg (Swe) 69 67, G Wright  (Wal) 68 68, P Maddy (Eng) 68 68, B Koepka  (USA) 70 66, D Dixon (Eng) 68 68, T Sluiter  (Ned) 71 65, R Quiros  (Esp) 70 66,

137 G Shaw (Nir) 69 68, O Whiteley (Eng) 72 65, G Dear (Sco) 68 69, G Hutcheon (Sco) 68 69, J McLeary  (Sco) 66 71, M Trappel  (Aut) 68 69, P McKechnie (Sco) 67 70, J Abbott (Eng) 70 67, R Kellett (Sco) 68 69,

138 N McCarthy  (Eng) 69 69, J Guerrier  (Fra) 68 70, D Geminiani (Ita) 71 67, J Mommo  (Fin) 68 70, S Kim (Kor) 69 69, J Fahrbring (Swe) 70 68, A Forsyth (Sco) 69 69, T Pilkadaris (Aus) 69 69, B Hebert  (Fra) 67 71, O Wilson (Eng) 72 66, J Gibb (Eng) 68 70, L Kennedy  (Eng) 67 71, S Whiffin (Eng) 73 65,

139 L Corfield  (Eng) 70 69, K Borsheim  (Nor) 68 71, A Gee  (Eng) 69 70, M Sell  (Eng) 69 70, J Lima  (Por) 67 72, J Garcia Pinto (Esp) 70 69, A Bernadet  (Fra) 69 70, C Russo (Fra) 66 73, E Saltman  (Sco) 71 68, J Watts (Eng) 65 74, L Saltman (Sco) 70 69, N Kearney (Irl) 70 69, S Parry  (Eng) 68 71, S Manley (Wal) 68 71, B Etchart  (Esp) 71 68, M Kerr  (Sco) 71 68, J Mikkelsen (Nor) 69 70, C Kelly (Sco) 68 71, S Dodd (Wal) 72 67

CUT

140 L Bjerregaard  (Den) 70 70, R Dinwiddie  (Eng) 71 69, G Murray  (Sco) 69 71, P Doherty (Sco) 67 73, N Ravano (Ita) 71 69, N Quintarelli (Ita) 71 69, N Fenwick (Sco) 68 72, R Russell (Sco) 69 71, P Oriol (Esp) 72 68, F Calmels  (Fra) 71 69, B Parker  (Eng) 72 68, A Johnston (Eng) 69 71, M Stewart (Sco) 74 66, G Houston (Wal) 72 68, D Law (Sco) 72 68, M Ford (Eng) 70 70, S Henderson (Sco) 71 69, P Dwyer (Eng) 73 67, L Goddard  (Eng) 71 69, W Besseling  (Ned) 76 64,

141 J Lando Casanova  (Fra) 74 67, J Senior (Eng) 73 68, O Rozner  (Fra) 72 69, J Glennemo (Swe) 73 68, P Cutler (Nir) 69 72, L Bond (Wal) 70 71, F Colombo (Ita) 73 68, A Perrino  (Ita) 72 69, R Enoch  (Wal) 69 72, N Elvira  (Esp) 72 69, A Domingo (Esp) 71 70, F McGuirk  (Eng) 71 70,

142 L Claverie (Esp) 71 71, D Perrier (Fra) 74 68, W Booth  (Sco) 74 68, Z Saltman (Sco) 71 71, P Relecom  (Bel) 71 71, J Moul  (Eng) 67 75, V Riu  (Fra) 70 72,

143 F Bergamaschi (Ita) 69 74, S Hodgson (Eng) 72 71, M Haastrup  (Den) 75 68, Å Nilsson (Swe) 76 67, N Dougherty  (Eng) 72 71, J Hepworth (Eng) 70 73, C Brazillier  (Fra) 75 68, P Archer (Eng) 72 71, M Novy  (Cze) 72 71, T Pieters  (Bel) 70 73, M Haremza (Ger) 75 68, A McArthur  (Sco) 70 73,

144 S Davis (Eng) 74 70, M Haines  (Eng) 73 71, C Gane (Eng) 73 71, J Ruth  (Eng) 73 71, T Haylock  (Eng) 71 73, C Ford (Eng) 75 69,

145 D Wuensche  (Ger) 71 74, S Hutsby  (Eng) 71 74, E Johansen  (Nor) 72 73, D Kemmer (USA) 71 74, D Vancsik (Arg) 73 72,

146 S McAllister (Sco) 75 71, P O’Keeffe  (Irl) 74 72, N Floren (Swe) 79 67,

147 C Trahan (Sco) 76 71, T Fournier  (Fra) 72 75, B Chapellan (Fra) 74 73, J Howarth (Eng) 75 72, C Aguilar  (Esp) 74 73,

148 D Im (USA) 75 73,

149 L Clarke  (Eng) 75 74, D Griffiths  (Eng) 72 77,

150 S Garcia Rodriguez (Esp) 81 69,

151 D Wright (Eng) 77 74, O Bekker (RSA) 76 75, F Cromarty (Sco) 76 75, J Maurer  (Aut) 75 76,

152 J Timmis (Eng) 73 79, S O’Hara  (Sco) 75 77,

154 S Park (Kor) 78 76, R Saxton (Ned) 79 75,

156 F Svanberg  (Sui) 78 78,

157 D Waite (Eng) 80 77,

** B Dredge (Wal) 74 RT