George Coetzee and Tommy Fleetwood remained in contention to secure a place in the Masters as Scotland's Richie Ramsey powered to the front of the field with a scintillating 66 in Agadir yesterday.

Coetzee and Fleetwood need to win the Hassan Trophy at Golf du Palais Royal to book a trip to Augusta in a fortnight's time and reached halfway just one and three shots off the lead respectively.

But the quartet of Andy Sullivan, Alexander Levy, Marcel Siem and Ross Fisher - who required similar results - all missed the halfway cut in Morocco, with 2013 champion Siem crashing from joint sixth overnight with a second round of 79.

Ramsey Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Australian Richard Green and Wales' Oliver Farr shared the lead on six under par, with Coetzee part of a five-strong group on five under as the top 32 players were separated by just four shots.

Ramsay's flawless 66 was the lowest score of the day and marked a welcome return to form for the former US Amateur champion, who was forced to withdraw due to illness from the only previous tournament where he had made the cut so far this season.

"The last few months have been frustrating. You just want to go out and play," Ramsay said. "I've had a few niggling injuries. I've just tried to stick to my guns and make sure I stretch, have a good practice routine.

"That builds up and slowly but surely it comes around and today was the day it happened. Hopefully it can stay for the weekend."

Playing in the final group of the day, Farr moved into the outright lead when he recorded his fifth birdie of the day on the 17th, only to drop a shot on the 18th, the only hole he has bogeyed in the first two days.

"It's my first time here and it is absolutely fantastic to play in the King's garden," said Challenge Tour graduate Farr. "It's spectacular, that's all I can say.

"This year has been great. Each week there are new challenges. Dealing with everything is tricky but I'm enjoying it.

"Being in a share of the lead is great. It's what we prepare for and practice for. We are only halfway through but hopefully I can be there on Sunday."

Fleetwood added a 71 to his opening 70 to lie three under, while Levy and Siem missed the cut by a shot and Sullivan's chances disappeared with a nine on the par-four fourth in his 75. Fisher finished 10 over after back-to-back rounds of 77.

Sullivan has won twice on the European Tour already this season but said: "There was a lot of pressure on my shoulders to perform. I tried to take it off as much as possible but came into it with not really enough preparation.

"I hit a lot of good shots but the bad ones really hurt me. That's golf and I am lucky to just have the opportunity to get into the Masters to be honest. If someone had said that at the start of the year I would have said 'no chance'.

"To have the opportunity to do it was amazing but it's golf, it comes back and bites you a lot of the time.

"I need to go away and work harder and bounce back from this, but I am not going to be too downhearted. I look back on the golf I have played this year and I have played well."