Andrew Dodt mastered the windy conditions to register the joint-lowest round of the day and sit just a shot off the lead heading into the weekend at the Trophée Hassan II.
The narrow, tree-lined layout at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam always provides a tough test but after a day of almost constant calm on Thursday, Friday saw the course bare its teeth.
Dodt's 68 was matched only by Finn Mikko Korhonen and the Australian - who finished a career-best 44th on last season's Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex - was happy with his effort.
"It wasn't easy," he said. "Quite breezy, which made the course very different to yesterday.
"I played pretty solid, though, even though I was two over through five or six, I just told myself to hang in there and try and hit fairways and greens and I managed to do that on the back nine.
"A win's a long way off. There's still a lot of golf over the next two days, especially around this course. Course management is a big key. You need to be in the right places and miss in the right places and the old cliché, one shot at a time. It's never been truer around this course."
Erik van Rooyen recorded a 68 on day one but fired a 71 on Friday to sit at five under, one shot behind Dodt.
The South African is playing in his rookie season after graduating from the Challenge Tour and admits he is beginning to feel at home on the European Tour.
"I feel like I'm playing well," he said. "I'm used to playing The European Tour now. It's nothing new anymore so I'm good, I'm comfortable.
"It's not easy out there. It's playing really, really tough. Two-club wind, so it was really just a grind in staying patient and I think it was solid. Yesterday there was almost no breeze and today there was a strong wind and it's really tough judgement on a couple of shots so you've got to be smart out there and just be patient."
