Everything you need to know from the second round at Aphrodite Hills Resort.
Thursday's co-leaders continued to impress while the men at the top of the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open leaderboard at the end of the day on Friday did not get to finish their second rounds due to fading light.
Here is everything you need to know from Friday's second round at Aphrodite Hills Resort.
Late starters storm to the summit
Jamie Donaldson and Marcus Armitage were playing in the penultimate and final groups of the day respectively on Friday and they both made a late charge. The pair were locked at the top of the leaderboard on 11 under par with some of their second rounds still to complete when play was halted due to fading light in the evening. Donaldson, who made six birdies and one bogey on day two, had one hole left to complete, while Armitage had carded an eagle, five birdies and a bogey in his first 15 holes before they ran out of daylight.
The Welshman finished with a closing birdie to extend the lead to 12 under par, while Armitage followed up a par at the 16th with a birdie on 17 to join Donaldson at the top with one hole to play. The Englishman had a chance to gain the outright lead at the last but his birdie putt slipped by the hole, leaving him in a share of his first ever lead after any round in a European Tour event.
Donaldson said: "I hit a good tee shot last night, which was slightly downwind. It was dark but we thought with the bunkers it was a good time to hit a driver. We had done the hard work and I was in a perfect position in the middle of the fairway. Just a six iron in, which I hit on the green and two-putted. Quite happy."
Armitage said: "I’m just gutted with that putt (on 18), it just dove. We saw it as straight but it turned right at the end. I would have taken that after 36 holes, tied for the lead. My game is going in the right direction, you just need to get up there and see how it is over the weekend. Just keep trying to make birdies and keep testing yourself – try and be in the last group tomorrow and give yourself a chance coming down the last few holes."
Waite impresses after early start
Mitch Waite was one of the standout performers on day one, firing an opening 64 to grab a share of the first round lead in just his fourth European Tour event. Playing in the first group of the day on Friday morning, the Englishman broke par again as he made five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in a second round 70 to move to eight under par. Waite had a very early start, getting up at 4.45am for his 6.35 tee time, but he didn't mind one bit.
He said: "It was quarter to five this morning. Early one this morning but I felt good with that tee time. I thought there'd be no wind this morning and there wasn’t. The eyesight on the range this morning wasn’t great, I wear contact lenses so the vision wasn’t great but in all fairness, to get out first on those greens was spot on."
Veerman keeps his card clean
Waite's fellow first round leader Johannes Veerman also enjoyed a productive day on Friday, making two birdies - at the sixth and 14th - and no bogeys to keep his card clean for the second day in succession. That takes him into the weekend on nine under par and puts him in a strong position to challenge for his first European Tour win.
Kawamura's perfect pitch
Masahiro Kawamura must have been worried about dropping a shot when he sent his tee shot at the short 15th about 70 yards off line and ended up in the rough on the left side. But instead, he ended up making an unlikely birdie thanks to this beautiful pitch...
509th time lucky?
Scotland's David Drysdale is still searching for his maiden European Tour title, having played 508 events in his long career. Could this be his week? The 45-year-old has played some lovely golf over the first two days and sits one shot off the lead after following up Thursday's 65 with a 67 on day two. He would have joined the co-leaders at the summit on 11 under on Friday had he not left his par putt short at the 18th but he had to settle for being one off the lead.
