Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello raced to the top of the leaderboard as the second round of the Nordea Masters began in Malmo.
With overnight leaders Jens Dantorp and Eddie Pepperell not out until the afternoon, in-form Cabrera-Bello snatched the lead with three birdies over the first eight holes of his second round.
The Spaniard, who has already posted four top-ten finishes on The Race to Dubai this term, picked up shots at the 11th, 12th and 15th to move to seven under par.
That was one ahead of not only local favourite Dantorp and England’s Pepperell, but Welshman Bradley Dredge and Northern Irishman Gareth Maybin.
Dredge bogeyed the second but fought back with four gains to turn in 33, while Maybin was one under through eight having almost aced the par three fourth.
World Number 25 Victor Dubuisson turned in a one under 35, and the Frenchman then birdied the first and struck his approach to five feet at the second for consecutive birdies, and moved to within one off the lead as a result.
That was one off the lead, which was now held by another Spaniard in Alvaro Quiros.
Cabrera-Bello had bogeys at the 18th and second, and Dredge – who had got to seven under with a birdie at the 11th – double bogeyed the 13th.
Big-hitting Quiros had eagled the 11th and birdied the 15th and 18th to turn in 32, then hit his second shot to within five feet of the par five first for another eagle that took him to seven under.
That was one ahead of Dubuisson, Dantorp, Pepperell and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee.
