Gavin Green fired the lowest 36-hole to total in D+D Real Czech Masters history to take a one-shot lead into the weekend at Albatross Golf Resort.
The Malaysian followed up his opening 64 with a 68 to to get to 12 under and lead the way from Dane Jeff Winther, with three-time Major Championship winner Padraig Harrington, Italian Andrea Pavan, Belgian Thomas Pieters and Finn Tapio Pulkkanen two shots back.
Just under 90 minutes were lost due to lightning early in the day as storms continued to circulate around Prague but Green refused to be flustered, making four birdies in a row around the turn to surge up the leaderboard.
Winther also carded a 68 as he looks for a strong finish to the season to keep his playing privileges, while Pieters - with a win and a second here in recent seasons - is looking to continue his good form ahead of Thomas Bjørn making his Captain's Picks for the Ryder Cup.
Green's only top ten in 33 European Tour appearances so far was a runner-up finish at last season's Hero Indian Open and he is aiming to become the first Malaysian winner in Tour history.
“It was just an up and down day,” he said. “I had a couple of really good holes, good birdies and made some putts but I had a couple of bad decisions that led to a double. Then I didn’t get up and down for par on 17 and made bogey there but I kept the card pretty clean after that.
“It’s fun to be leader and it’s been a while since I’ve been in this position so I’m going to enjoy it - my dad’s on the bag so we’re going to have a nice dinner maybe and a good sleep and continue tomorrow.”
Green joined Pulkkanen and Pieters at the top of the leaderboard as he took advantage of the par five 12th but he would quickly surge ahead.
He birdied the 14th from 18 feet and a wonderful approach into the next gave him a two-shot lead before Pieters - after turning in 35 - spun his approach into the second close to cut the gap.
Finding the water on the 16th led to a Green double-bogey to hand Pieters the initiative and the reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion dropped another shot on the next.
Pieters holed a 20-footer on the fifth to move two ahead but Green was still fighting and holed a 15-footer on the 18th and made the most of the par five first to get back into double figures.
The 24 year old had momentum once more and a six-footer on the second put him in share of the lead.
A tee-shot to tap-in range on the next meant that Green was ahead and with Pieters bogeying the eighth after a poor second, the lead was two shots.
Winther turned in 36 with two birdies and two bogeys but then made gains on the first, second, fourth and sixth to emerge as the nearest challenger.
“I’ve been putting really well all day so I hope it keeps going,” he said. “I played really nicely today, it was really nice to follow up that good round from yesterday."
Pulkkannen had joined the lead on the tenth and held it alone after a birdie on the first but went birdie-bogey on the third and fourth before closing with a gain.
Harrington made a birdie and a bogey before the stoppage but a stunning approach to the 18th moved him back into red numbers. Back-to-back birdies on the fifth and sixth edged the Irishman further up the leaderboard and he was into double figures with a 15-foot putt on the ninth.
Pavan made a big move in the afternoon with birdies on the 12th, 13th, 15th and first, and when he holed a long putt at the sixth he was in a share of the lead. A bogey on the next and a double on the eighth then sent him tumbling back before a closing gain.
England's Matt Wallace is a two-time winner this season and he made eight birdies in a 65 that was the lowest round of the day to sit alongside countrymen Tom Lewis and Aaron Rai, Swede Peter Hanson, Scotsman Scott Jamieson and South Korea's Soomin Lee at nine under.
