Jimmy Mullen set the clubhouse target on the second day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship as his dream professional debut continued but a formidable chasing pack was gathering behind the Englishman.
Mullen fired a first-round 64 at Kingsbarns and followed that with a 69 at St Andrews to sit a shot clear of fellow professional debutant Paul Dunne and Ryder Cup star Jamie Donaldson.
But two-time Major champion Martin Kaymer was also within striking distance of the 21 year old midway through the second round.
Dunne had also fired a 64 on the first day and briefly moved into the lead at St Andrews, a position he is familiar with on the Old Course after leading the Open Championship this summer, with a birdie on the first.
That took him above Mullen, starting in the first group out, who bogeyed the fourth but bounced back with a gain at the fifth and further birdies on the seventh and ninth holes got him to the turn in 34 and with a one shot lead at ten under.
Mullen then birdied the 12th, gave the shot back on the next, but gained another stroke on the 14th before parring his way home, with missed opportunities on the 16th and the 18th, to set the clubhouse target at 11 under.
Dunne also bogeyed the fourth but bounced back with birdies on the fifth and the tenth to sit a shot off the lead with five holes to play.
Donaldson came into the event off the back of finishing in a tie for fifth at the Porsche European Open and made eight birdies in a brilliant 65 at Kingsbarns with a single dropped shot.
“I played pretty nicely,” he said.
“There’s a lot of chances out there especially when the wind dropped a bit. Earlier on when it was quite cool the ball wasn’t going very far and then it warmed up which enabled me to hit it closer to the pins.”
Bradley Dredge, also playing at Kingsbarns, fired the low round of the week so far with a 63 that was 10 shots better than his opening effort at Carnoustie on Thursday.
The Welshman posted two eagles and five birdies in a flawless effort to sit eight under alongside Kaymer.
"I've been playing golf a long time and haven't got a clue anymore," he said when quizzed about his contrasting fortunes.
"It was a bit of a tougher course yesterday, yesterday nothing went in. I got off to a slow start yesterday and then started playing nicely and just kept parring holes and not really doing anything.
"You come to today and I was three under after three, I hit some good shots and got off to a really good start and just kept going from there. And when I did get in trouble on two occasions, I made good par saves."
Kaymer was the big mover on the leaderboard in the early stages as he leapt to eight under at Kingsbarns.
He lost out in a play-off to Rikard Karlberg last time out at the 72° OPEN D'ITALIA presented by DAMIANI but looked in good form and maintained that with two birdies and an eagle in his opening eight holes.
He dropped a shot at the second but secured back-to-back birdies on the fourth and fifth before a three-putt bogey on the ninth meant he had to settle for a 68.
Alejandro Cañizares was also in the clubhouse at eight under after a 67 at Carnoustie which included a sublime chip-in on the 15th.
