Former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen remained on course to celebrate another victory at St Andrews midway through the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Oosthuizen won his first Major title at the Home of Golf in 2010, finishing seven shots clear of the field to join fellow South Africans Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els in lifting the Claret Jug.
And the 28 year old has his sights set on holding up a different trophy on Sunday in the pro-am event, which is staged over three courses - Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews.
An opening 66 at Kingsbarns gave Oosthuizen a share of the lead overnight and he carried on where he left off at Carnoustie, with players anxious to take advantage of some rare good weather at this time of year.
Oosthuizen picked up his birdies at the second, third, sixth and eighth to reach the turn in 32, moving to ten under par for the tournament and a one shot lead over Germany's Martin Kaymer, Spain's Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Northern Ireland's Michael Hoey and Argentina's Tano Goya.
Former US PGA champion Kaymer picked up shots at the second, fourth, sixth and eighth at Carnoustie to also be out in 32 before carding another birdie on the 11th.
The 26 year old is aiming to become the first player to successfully defend the title and, after already defending the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship earlier this season, a win on Sunday would make him just the fourth golfer in European Tour history to defend multiple tournaments in the same season after Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam and Tiger Woods.
World Number Two Lee Westwood, who has not given up hope of overtaking Ryder Cup team-mate Luke Donald at the top of The Race to Dubai, was three shots off the lead after picking up three birdies at Carnoustie.
Westwood birdied the fourth, sixth and 12th to improve to seven under, one ahead of Masters Tournament champion Charl Schwartzel and Ireland's Padraig Harrington, who had played 12 and nine holes respectively.
Northern Irish pair Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, playing alongside each other at Carnoustie, were also on six under with Harrington, with former Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie a shot further back.
Montgomerie went to the turn at Carnoustie in 38 after three bogeys in four holes from the sixth, but hit back with a hat-trick of birdies from the tenth.
The good conditions ensured low scoring was the order of the day and Hoey moved into the outright lead on 11 under with birdies on the third and fifth at Kingsbarns.
Kaymer and Oosthuizen were now part of a four-way tie for second on ten under with England's Tommy Fleetwood and Australia's Daniel Gaunt, while Westwood remained three off the lead despite another birdie on the 14th.
The most spectacular burst of scoring had come from Scotland's James Byrne, one of six members of the victorious Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team playing this week.
Playing in his first European Tour event as a professional, the 22 year old went to the turn in 36 at Carnoustie but then birdied the 12th, fired a hole-in-one on the 13th with a seven iron and then eagled the 14th for good measure.
At ten under par he was two shots off the lead held by Hoey, who had two holes to play at Kingsbarns, with Oosthuizen and Fleetwood on 11 under.
