Composed Thornton retains the Irish PGA lead at Monkstown

After two testing days, the top 50 players have made the cut, and the stage is now set for a thrilling final round on Thursday.

Simon Thornton at Royal County Down last year. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Overnight leader Simon Thornton backed up his opening 66 at the Brown & Brown Irish PGA Championship
with a composed round of 69 on Wednesday at Monkstown Golf Club to remain top of the leaderboard going into Thursday's final round. 

Thornton lies -5, one shot clear of Limerick pro Tim Rice, who made a significant move with a superb 66 after a steady level-par opening round.