Alexander Björk opened up a two-shot lead as the second round of the Tshwane Open got under way at Pretoria Country Club.
The Swede entered day two in a three-way share for first place but with co-leaders Grégory Havret and Haydn Porteous not out until the afternoon, he had a chance to steal a march on his rivals.
And so he did, playing his first 11 holes in three under to get to nine under and lead the way from Scotsman Scott Jamieson.
This is just Björk's ninth event as he finds his feet on the European Tour after finishing seventh on last season's Road to Oman.
The 26 year old birdied the second for the second day in a row and while he dropped a shot on the fourth, further birdies were to follow on the sixth, tenth and 11th.
Jamieson was also three under for the day after picking up shots on the fifth, sixth and eighth.
South African Peter Karmis was then at six under alongside Havret and Porteous, with birdies on the third, fifth and sixth and a bogey on the ninth in his first ten holes.
There was then a large group of players at five under including South African trio Louis de Jager, Darren Fichardt and Garth Mulroy, English pair Graeme Storm and Chris Paisley, American Peter Uihlein and South Korean Soomin Lee, who were all out on course.
