Pablo Larrazábal and Niclas Fasth closed the gap on overnight leader Matteo Manassero to a single shot when the second round of the Open de Andalucía Costa del Sol began.
Manassero, who equalled the course record with his opening 64, was among the second round's later starters.
The Italian teenager’s advantage was cut to one initially by England's Anthony Wall.
The 36 year old had birdies at the second and third holes, but then came a triple-bogey eight on the long fifth and a bogey on the next.
With that Wall, seeking his second victory in nearly 400 European Tour starts, fell back to three under par, five adrift of the 18 year old.
But then former Ryder Cupper Fasth and then Spaniard Larrazábal closed in.
Larrazábal got off to a poor start had four successive birdies from the 14th and another at the long first.
Wall dropped another shot at the seventh, but did at least start the back nine with a birdie to recover to three under, five behind.
Fasth, whose last victory was the BMW International Open in Munich five years ago, bogeyed the 12th and 13th to go back to five under, but Larrazábal, winner of the same title last season, remained one behind Manassero with two to play.
