The low scoring continued at Golf Club Milano on Friday as Lucas Bjerregaard and Jens Fahrbring shared a two-shot lead midway through the second round of the 72° OPEN D'ITALIA presented by DAMIANI.
Nicolas Colsaerts had set a blistering pace on Thursday as he registered a 63 but he was soon overtaken when play got under way on day two with Fahrbring, who currently sits fourth in the Challenge Tour rankings, hitting nine birdies in a 64.
Playing alongside Bjerregaard, the Swede picked up shots on the 11th and 12th before giving one back on the 13th but further gains on the 14th, 16th and 17th saw him turn in 32. More birdies followed on the first, second and sixth, and a four on the ninth moved him into a share of the lead.
Big-hitting Bjerregaard, who is 118th in the Race to Dubai, made two birdies on his opening nine but an eagle on the first proved the catalyst as he picked up shots on the third, fourth and eighth to sign for a 65.
Spain's Pedro Oriol also went round in 65 as a blistering back nine of 29 catapulted him up the leaderboard.
The 29 year old was level at the turn but five birdies and an eagle on the way in took him to 11 under alongside Frenchman Romain Wattel who followed up an opening 67 with a 66.
Rikard Karlberg had set the early pace as he birdied his first hole of the day and then made four consecutive gains from the 14th to turn in 31. Further birdies followed on the first and the fourth but a bogey-bogey finish dropped him back to 10 under alongside David Lipsky, Bernd Wiesberger and Martin Kaymer.
The two-time Major Championship winner bogeyed the 12th but following an eagle on the 14th, he picked up five more shots to sit in an ominous position.
"I didn't play as good as yesterday to be honest," he said. "I didn't hit as many fairways as yesterday and therefore I feel like I didn't have as many chances as well but I shot a better score. It was a strange one."
He added: "I felt a little bit tired, I didn't sleep very well last night, therefore (it is) even better if you make a few birdies at the beginning of the round to get the round going, I made a very nice eagle.
"I think I shot five under on the par fives so that helps."
Wiesberger was playing alongside Kaymer and turned in 32 courtesy of four birdies but could only come home in 36 and admitted he was frustrated despite putting himself in a good position for the weekend.
"I started well, played good in the morning, things were going really nicely and I took a couple of good chances and hit some good shots as well," said the Alstom Open de France champion.
"The middle section of the front nine I struggled a bit with my pace putting, didn't get the ball as close to the hole as I probably should have and when I did I didn't hit a great putt. I left a couple out there late in the round but I'm still in a good position."
Lipsky, meanwhile, turned in 33 after starting on the tenth and registered 10 straight pars before a stunning approach shot on the ninth left him a short putt for eagle and a second consecutive 67.
Peter Lawrie was then on nine under, a shot clear of Matthew Nixon, Wade Ormsby, Daniel Brooks, Mikko Korhonen, Jaco van Zyl and Italian amateur Stefano Mazzoli.
Overnight leader Colsaerts was a further shot back having dropped two shots in his opening five holes.
