Two of Scotlands fallen heroes yesterday showed signs of recovering form to qualify for weekend action in the Andalucia Open.

Paul Lawrie followed his opening six-over-par 78 with a six-under 66 to make the cut on level par, while Stephen Gallacher improved by six shots with a 68 to be two under at the halfway stage in southern Spain.

Lawrie was inside the world's top 50 after his Open Championship win in 1999 but is now down to No.243, while Gallacher was briefly the top-ranked Scot at No.66 after his Alfred Dunhill Links Championship win in 2004 but is now languishing at No.414.

The 39-year-old Lawrie credited the turnaround to eliminating a sway on his backswing, a flaw spotted by caddie Andy Forsyth. "Today I gave myself lots of birdie chances and I rolled the ball superbly with the putter," he said.

Starting at the 10th he reached the turn in 35 and came alight on his back nine with an eagle three at the first on his way to a five-under 31. Suspecting he needed a birdie at the last to make the cut, he played an approach to four feet and holed for a 3.

Gallacher, 33, dropped two shots late in his round from three-putting. With those exceptions he was pleased with his form on the greens after switching back to a belly putter. He vacillated between belly and regular putter last year, "and this time I'm going to stick with the belly putter all year. It feels really good and I'm striking the putts better".

Alastair Forsyth, winner of the Madeira Islands Open last week, was top Scot on four under after a second 70, a score he was pleased with after opening at the 10th with an exhibition of military golf - left, right, left, right - that ended with a bogey six. "I was all over the place and its not what you want to start with," he said. "I didnt play well but I hung in there and two under is a good result."

Gary Orr had a lost ball scare at the first, but a caddie found it sitting well down in the rough a yard from the fairway after searching for four minutes - one minute short of having it deemed lost. Orr made the cut with a shot to spare on 72.

Peter Whiteford from Kirkcaldy joined Gallacher on two-under after a 69 in the last group out, and another rookie, Robert Dinwiddie - Dumfries-born but representing England - had the round of the day, a seven-under 65.

Dinwiddie was one behind the leaders, Peter Hedblom of Sweden, who carded a 67 for an eight-under aggregate of 136, and Australian Matthew Millar, who chipped in at the last for a 69. Overnight leader Lee Westwood had a bad day on the greens topped by three-putting from six feet at the last for a 73 and is two behind.