Rory McIlroy trails Sergio Garcia by two at BMW Championship

McIlroy is currently second in the FedEx Cup standings

Rory McIlroy finished strongly with three birdies in his last four holes to lie two shots off the lead at the halfway stage of the BMW Championship.

The Northern Irishman, who shot a 67 for a six-under total, trails European Ryder Cup team-mate Sergio Garcia, who managed an impressive 64 in Denver.

American Ryan Palmer also carded a 64 to sit a shot adrift of Spain's Garcia.

Palmer needs a high finish to get into the FedEx Cup top 30 and reach next week's Tour Championship in Atlanta.

The top 70 players on the FedEx Cup points list after the Deutsche Bank Championship qualified for this week's event, with only the top 30 advancing to the finale, which begins on Thursday.

American Chris Kirk - who holds the overall FedEx Cup lead after two of the four play-off events - is one over after two rounds.

Garcia, who was a shot off the lead after the first round, birdied his second hole but his round came to life with an eagle at the seventh.

Although he followed that with a bogey at the next hole, birdies on 11, 13, 16 and the last, courtesy of a breaking 12-foot putt, saw him come home in 32.

Palmer also eagled the seventh, holing his second shot from 46 yards after birdies on one and three and a bogey on five.

The American also bogeyed 10 but picked up shots on 13, 14, 17 and 18 to be Garcia's nearest challenger and stay on target to play next week.

Graham DeLaet, Bubba Watson and Hideki Matsuyama are a shot behind McIlroy and Billy Horschel, with Rickie Fowler, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott on three under.