Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez remained the man to catch midway through the second round of the 2020 Hero Open at Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club.
The 31-year-old rookie opened with a stunning 62 on Thursday and turned in 35 to reach 11 under for the week.
Birdies at the third and seventh took Garcia Rodriguez clear of the chasing pack before a dropped shot on the eighth left him 11 under for the week.
That was two clear of clubhouse leader Alexander Björk, who added a 67 to his opening 68 to post a nine under halfway target.
The overnight leader is under way.@SebasGarciaGolf 👋#HeroOpen #GolfForGood pic.twitter.com/vbJfPd8iUP
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 31, 2020
The 30-year-old, whose only previous European Tour title came in China three years ago, made six birdies and a solitary bogey.
France's Alex Levy and Finland's Mikko Korhonen were then in the clubhouse on eight under after rounds of 69, alongside Miguel Ángel Jiménez on his record 707th appearance.
The 56-year-old added a 72 to his opening 64 to stay in the hunt for a fairytale ending to his special week, with his fellow Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal on the same mark through six holes.
