Luke Donald and Paul Casey - close friends, but very different golfers - are both battling for the biggest prize at The European Tour's flagship event.
A second successive 68 gave Donald the early clubhouse lead at six under par on the second day of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.
But Casey, the defending champion, then handed in the same score and was tucked in just two shots behind Donald alongside another Englishman, Chris Wood, and Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed.
World Number Three Lee Westwood, meanwhile, was left waiting to see if he had survived the cut on two over, but Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie looked safely through on level par.
Casey's caddie now is Donald's brother Christian, and the big-hitting Surrey golfer said: "Christian calls Luke 'Plod' and he has plodded his way round very well.
"Luke's probably one of the masters of plotting his way round and it's no surprise to see his name at the top of the leaderboard the way this course is now."
Wentworth has been toughened up by Ernie Els, with the revamped long 18th a particular talking point with water in front of the green.
"I like the changes - you really do have to plan your way around," said Donald after picking up birdies at the fourth, fifth, eighth and 17th and dropping his only shot at the 12th, a hole which has been altered from a par five to a par four.
Although he had set the clubhouse target, 22 year old Danny Willett, the first round leader, began his second round in brilliant fashion after lunch.
Birdies at the first two holes took him to eight under and two ahead of Donald, while Ross Fisher and Australian left-hander Richard Green were one further back.
Casey's three-putt bogey at the seventh sparked him into life. Four birdies came in the next seven holes and although there were further birdies on the 16th and 18th each of those followed further bogeys.
"I had to get aggressive and it paid off," Casey said. "I would love to defend the title successfully - I've never done it and that's why I'm here."
Willett added yet another birdie at the long fourth - that made it 12 in 22 holes - but he did bogey the 203 yard next.
By then Donald was alone in second with Fisher having bogeyed the sixth and Green the third, while Ernie Els climbed to five under, but then dropped shots on the next two.
Willett, three clear after four, was back into a tie with Donald when he bogeyed the 11th and 12th.
At six under they were one ahead of Scot Richie Ramsay, who had played only eight holes, and South African James Kingston, third in Mallorca last week.
