A disappointing finish to his second round could not stop John Parry from claiming a share of the lead at the midway point on day two of the Made in Denmark.
The Englishman began the day three shots behind overnight leader David Horsey but got off to a flying start with birdies on the tenth and 11th after starting on the back nine.
Three pars followed but another birdie on the 15th moved him into a share of the lead and when he picked up a shot on the 17th, he was out in front on his own at nine under as he reached the turn in 31.
Another gain on the fifth had him into double figures and when he picked up a sixth birdie of the day on the next, he held a three shot lead and looked to be cruising.
A bogey on the seventh stalled his momentum, however, and another dropped shot on the last saw him card a 67 and drop back alongside Horsey who was in the very early stages of his second round after birdieing the first.
"I played well but it was a bit more of a struggle than yesterday," said Parry. "For the bogey at the last I holed a six or seven footer, so it actually doesn’t feel as bad when you do that.
"I hit it a lot better on the back nine – my front nine – and I was holing pretty much everything I looked at. It wasn’t as good on the front, but I’m in a good position for the weekend."
He added: "I enjoy this position. That’s what we play golf for. I’d like to be leading on Sunday, but as long as I’m up there then it’s good.
"I’ve been in this position before and handled it well, so I’m pretty comfortable." John Parry
Last year's runner-up Bradley Dredge was eight under after a steady round of 68 courtesy of birdies on the 15th, second and fourth, a shot clear of countryman Oliver Farr who finished with two birdies to rescue a 71.
The Welshman picked up seven shots from the third to the eighth in his first round but could not repeat the trick on Friday as he bogeyed the fifth on his way to an outward 37.
He got that shot back on the 11th but back-to-back bogeys on the 12th and 13th threatened to derail his round before that strong finish saw him end the day where he had started.
"I had a nice finish to grind out a score," he said. "The wind picked up as we were finishing off, which makes things more challenging especially when your game’s not quite right.
"It was a good day considering I wasn’t on top of my game. I didn’t hit it close to the pins today, so to hit it close on the last hole makes things a lot easier."
Chris Paisley was another shot back after a second consecutive 68 which contained six birdies and three bogeys, alongside Mads Søgaard who had an eagle and four birdies en route to his second 68 of the week.
The story of the day had looked like it was coming from European Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke before he dropped three shots in his final two holes.
The Northern Irishman started on the tenth and, after four bogeys and two birdies on his front nine, was in serious danger of missing the cut before coming alive after the turn.
He birdied the first and then holed his second on the third for eagle before picking up another shot on the fourth. A brilliant bunker shot on the fifth saved a par and further birdies followed on the sixth and seventh to get him to six under.
But the 47 year old could not make par after finding a bunker on the eighth and had to take a drop from the bushes on the ninth, resulting in a double bogey which left him three over for the week.
"I was really struggling with my swing today and it caught up with me at the end," he said. "I was just trying to get it in without any more poor swings.
"Overall I wasn't playing well but had some fantastic up and downs and a couple of nice shots so (it's) not all bad."
He added: "Obviously six under is a lot better than three under but sometimes that's golf, you struggle with your swing.
"There's enough good in there at the moment. If I can get the bad a little bit better and keep with the good I'll be okay."
Playing partner Thomas Bjørn had three birdies and a bogey to sit one shot better off alongside Australian Jason Scrivener, Scot Chris Doak, Englishman Tom Lewis and Swede Magnus A Carlsson.
The low round of the day so far belonged to Matthew Nixon who recovered after an opening bogey left him at five over, well adrift of the projected cut line which was expected to fall at level par or one under.
But he recorded birdies on the fourth, fifth, seventh, 11th, 12th, 16th and 17th to get to two under and safely book his place over the weekend.
