Former champion Lucas Bjerregaard was hoping to peak at the right time as he fired a bogey free 65 to get himself right in contention heading into the weekend at the 2021 Portugal Masters.
The Dane won this event in 2017 and followed that up with a victory at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship the following year before famously defeating Tiger Woods en route to the semi-finals of the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
After starting 2020 playing in the United States, he returned to Europe after the Covid-19 hiatus but has recorded just one top ten on the European Tour in the last two and a half years and entered this week at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course at 136th in the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
With the top 122 set to retain their playing privileges for 2022, the 30-year-old needs a strong showing over the next fortnight and he has made an excellent start in Vilamoura.
After holing from off the green on the 12th for an eagle, he added birdies on the 15th, first, second and third in round two to get to ten under and was delighted to be back at the right end of the leaderboard.
"It’s not been a good year for me," he said. "I’ve not been playing very well. I’ve had little glimpses here and there of improvement but it’s not really shown much.
I’ve been playing better and making some more cuts, but it’s not quite where it needs to be. I’m pleased with the last couple of days
"These last couple of months I’ve been playing better and making some more cuts but it’s not quite where it needs to be.
"I’m pleased with the last couple of days."
He added: "There was a little less wind this morning. Greens were perfect when we started, so that was nice. I took advantage of that and made a few putts.
"The wind has changed a bit during the day, it’s probably playing a little easier than yesterday.
"The greens are slick. If you get some of those downhill they go quick but they are so pure and really nice to putt on. I’ve had the speed down pretty well, so that has been nice.
"I do a lot of rhythm stuff. I have a tendency to accelerate on the downswing and that messes with my distance control a bit. I work on that pretty much every week, I’ve done a little more this week with it and it seems to be working - so far, at least."
