Ashley Chesters dropped his first shot of the tournament but remained in front as the third round of the Porsche European Open began.
A flawless 67 had given the 27-year-old Englishman a one shot lead with a halfway total of nine under par when the weather-affected second round was completed on Saturday morning.
Chesters converted from inside five feet on the first to get to double figures but dropped his first shot of the week at the next when he left a chip from off the green eight feet short.
That allowed Sweden’s Jens Fahrbring, who had also picked up a shot at the first, to join him in the lead.
But Chesters bounced back with a gain at the third and Fahrbring missed a five footer to leave the former European Amateur Champion two clear on ten under par.
Defending champion Alex Levy, Swede Johan Edfors, South African Richard Sterne, American Chase Koepka and Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman were all alongside Fahrbring on eight under.
Earlier American Ryder Cup star Patrick Reed completed his second round by holing a five-wood for albatross on the par five 18th.
America’s Julian Suri picked up three shots in four holes approaching the turn as he and England’s Jordan E Smith advanced to nine under.
However, Chesters responded with back-to-back gains at the seventh and eighth – the latter after hitting his tee shot to within a foot at the par three as he surged clear on 12 under.
