Matthew Southgate battles wind to claim halfway lead at Nexo Championship

On another day of testing conditions, scoring proved tough over the Martin Hawtree-designed Old Course in Aberdeenshire with Scottish duo Connor Syme and Martin Laird the only players to be bogey free on Friday.

Southgate carded a second consecutive 70, featuring a chip-in eagle late in his second round, to claim the solo lead at four under.

England's Matthew Jordan, runner-up last week in Denmark, home hope Scott Jamieson, Sweden's first-round leader Marcus Kinhult and South Africa's Shaun Norris are a shot further back.

Nine shots separate the leader and those who made the cut at five over, the highest mark so far this season on the DP World Tour.

Southgate is making just his fifth DP World Tour start this season but he is in the mix to become the 14th first-time winner on the 2026 Race to Dubai campaign.

South Africa's Norris is making his debut at the tournament, having watched from afar last year and he appears to be another relishing the challenge as he targets his third DP World Tour title after two runner-up finishes this season.

After a birdie at the 12th, his third hole of the day, he then dropped shots at the 13th and 15th but he enjoyed an excellent back nine with birdies at the first, second, fourth and seventh to card a 69.

"I'm very pleased with it," he said. "I hit the ball nicely, kept it in play, and that's basically all you need to do around here.

"The ball's not travelling, as it's quite cold out there. Wind's all over the place, so you basically just need to plan your way around the golf course."