Padraig Harrington holds the halfway lead at the Iskandar Johor Open after firing a five under par 67.
The Irishman, part of Europe's victorious Ryder Cup Team earlier this month, is bidding for a first victory in two years and put himself firmly in contention with an eagle, four birdies and just one bogey at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club.
Harrington's eagle came on the par five sixth when the three-time Major winner drained from 25 feet to ensure he edged ahead of Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang.
But despite claiming the lead, the World Number 22 was disappointed with his round, especially after making such an explosive start on Thursday where a round of 67 was highlighted by two eagles.
"I played pretty well yesterday but was horrible today," said Harrington.
"If anything, I lose a bit of my timing which goes off. My body gets ahead of my arms. I'm happy I know what it is and I'm happy to know where my bad shots are coming from.
"There's no point being defensive out there. There are a lot of birdies to be made and I've made a few eagles. I've got to keep going like that. You've got to expect to get to around 20 under par tomorrow. I've got to keep moving forward, play well and take a lead into Sunday."
Lin produced the best round of the day with a seven under 65 while South Korean Lee Sung shot a blemish-free 68 to move into third, three shots behind Harrington.
"The tee shots were very good, the short game was good. Seven under, I'm very happy," said Lin.
Victorious Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie shot a one under par 71 to make it through to the weekend on three under.
