Terry Pilkadaris carded five birdies en route to a four under par round of 67 to move to the top of the leaderboard midway through the second day of the Scottish Hydro Challenge hosted by Macdonald Hotels and Resorts.
The Australian arrived at the stunning Macdonald Hotels and Resorts buoyed by his best result of the Challenge Tour season at the Belgian Challenge Open, where he finished in a share of sixth place.
He carried that form with him to the picturesque highlands resort of Aviemore and the 41 year old had three consecutive birdies towards the end of his round to thank as he climbed to nine under for the tournament after a five under par opening round of 66.
“I've played well the last couple of weeks so I've just tried to continue on with that form,” said the Melbourne player. “My game is feeling good at the moment.
“Yesterday was nice. It was really windy in the afternoon so I was really happy with that. This morning was really cold but I played well and I’ve had one bogey in 36 holes so I’m really happy with that.
“I played well at Saint Omer and then had three bogeys to finish, which left a really bad taste in the mouth. But last week in Belgium was my best finish in Europe. In Australia I ahd a fourth and a sixth, so I’ve been amongst it a few times which is pretty good.
“It’s all starting to click. I'm starting to putt nicely and drive nicely and wedge it good too, so I've just got to keep moving in the right direction.”
Bjorn Åkesson of Sweden and Spaniard Xavier Guzman were a shot off the pace on eight under after the former signed for a four under par 67 while the latter carded a superb seven under 64.
