Graeme McDowell and Paul McGinley stayed in contention at the British Masters with solid second rounds at The Grove, with the McDowell crediting the upturn in form to a second child and Ryder Cup motivation.
Andrew Johnston delighted the home fans by claiming a share of the clubhouse lead with Sweden's Alex Noren, on 10-under, with McDowell four off the leaders and McGinley a further shot back.
G-Mac replicated Thursday's 68 to keep himself in the conversation, with five birdies and two bogeys getting him home three-under for the day, and six-under for the tournament.
"I really feel as if I've turned the corner in the last three or four months," said McDowell after birdies at his last two holes today gave him a three-under-par 68 and a challenging six-under aggregate of 136.
"A big part of the summer for me was having our second baby and having my family life start to stabilise."
McDowell, who holed the winning putt for Europe in the 2010 Ryder Cup, failed to qualify for the team this year for the first time in a decade and it stung the 37-year-old.
"The Ryder Cup was a big thing for me," he said. "Not making that team, I was sitting at home and watched pretty much every shot.
"It was a motivating factor. I really want to be in that team in France in two years time and I'm trying to drive myself on for the next chapter of my career."
McGinley went one better as he carded a fine four-under 67 to lie five shots off Johnston and Noren.
Shane Lowry is also reasonably well placed for a weekend charge; he's four-under after his one-under 70.
Michael Hoey's level-par 71 wasn't enough to lift him over the cut line, with a four-over 75 on Thursday doing too much damage.
"What a way to finish!"@BeefGolf ties the lead. #BritishMasters https://t.co/FKMX6rHffc
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 14, 2016
"It was nice to finish with a few birdies and I thought as host they might give me another nine holes to try and make the cut, but it was not to be," Donald joked when reflecting on his missed cut.
"I've seen a different side of what goes on and it has been fun to be a part of. It's tough to juggle but I'm not going to make any excuses."
At the other end of the leaderboard, playing partners Johnston and Noren carded matching rounds of 65, although Johnston's lunch will have tasted better after a three-shot swing on their final hole.
Noren, who is seeking a third European Tour title this season, was eight under par for his round before running up a double bogey on the ninth, where Johnston recorded his eighth birdie of the day.
"I hit a terrible wedge in there as well but it was good to make that one," said Johnston, who has become a cult figure better known by his nickname 'Beef' since winning the Spanish Open in April and admitting he could not wait to get home to "get hammered" with friends and family.
"I'm very happy. I thought I played well yesterday in the wind and managed to make a few more birdies today when it was calmer."
Scotland's Scott Jamieson and England's Tommy Fleetwood were a shot off the pace after rounds of 65 and 67 respectively, with Chris Wood and Richard Sterne another stroke back.
Jamieson is currently 117th on the Race to Dubai with only the top 110 after next week's Portugal Masters keeping their card for next season, but has been inspired by compatriot Marc Warren, who jumped from 125th to 70th after finishing fifth in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday.
"It's amazing how quickly things can change," Jamieson said after carding six birdies in a flawless round.
"Marc went from possibly losing his card to maybe playing in all the Final Series events, but I still have two big days ahead of me.
"It's tough but you have to face it as a challenge. It's obviously not an ideal situation but I just have to trust in my ability and see where it takes me."
Fleetwood was three over par after five holes of his round but bounced back with the aid of a chip in for birdie on the 17th and an eagle from just two feet on the par-five 18th.
Wood carded an error-free 66 to boost his chances of joining Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie in winning the BMW PGA Championship and British Masters in the same year.
"It's beginning to become a target," Wood said. "Obviously I'm four behind Alex and he's playing great this year. But what a motivation that is, to try to get your name up with those guys."
