Swedish teenager Marcus Kinhult became only the second amateur in European Tour history to lead at the end of the first two rounds when he took a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the Nordea Masters.
After carding a five under par 67 at PGA Sweden National on Thursday, Kinhult picked up where he left off on day two, firing five birdies and a bogey in a 68 to finish nine under par and equal the record set by Aaron Pike at the 2007 MasterCard Masters.
Local man Jens Dantorp, who shared the overnight lead with the 18 year old amateur, carded four birdies on his front nine before picking up another shot at the 14th to join Kinhult at the top of the leaderboard in Malmö.
Starting on the back nine, Kinhult birdied the 12th and 17th to reach the turn in 34 before picking up another shot on the par five first.
Kinhult dropped his first shot of the day when he three-putted the sixth, but responded immediately with a birdie from ten feet on the seventh.
The winner of the recent Lytham Trophy, a prestigious amateur event, Kinhult again enjoyed playing in front of big crowds.
“I’m pretty happy with my score and where I am in the tournament,” he said. “Today was more of a solid round from tee to green and I made two big putts, but my putting wasn’t as good as it was yesterday. My game feels good at the moment.
“It’s pretty special to play a European Tour event – this is only my second time doing that. And to play at home in Sweden makes it even more special.” - Marcus Kinhult
Dantorp enjoyed himself on day two and is looking forward to taking on Kinhult on Saturday.
He said: "It was good fun out there. The crowds and the fan club were so good. It really helps boost me out there. I was feeling a bit tired towards the end of the day, but hearing the crowd cheering gives me new energy.
"The wind picked up after lunch so it was tricky. The back nine was pretty tough and there were some tough holes in the wind. It certainly tires you a bit.
"I had a really good start and that always helps. It helps keep your spirits up, and I was looking at the leaderboards trying to catch Marcus, and I did. I’m looking forward to playing with him tomorrow.
“It will be fun. I’ve never played with Marcus so it’ll be nice to see how he plays and to try to beat him. I’m trying to stay cool and tell myself it’s just another round of golf tomorrow.
"It’ll be a fun one because there will be big crowds. I’m looking forward to it." - Jens Dantorp
The co-leaders are not the only Swedish players fighting at the top of the leaderboard, with Sebastian Soderberg two shots behind them and Alex Noren a further shot back on six under par.
Countryman Henrik Stenson shot a level par 72 to finish two under par after two rounds.
