Benjamin Hebert will take a one shot lead into the weekend of the B-NL Challenge Trophy at Twentsche Golfclub in the Netherlands.
The Frenchman posted four birdies and just one bogey to card a three under par round of 68 and reach nine under par for the week.
English duo Alex Fitzpatrick and Ben Schmidt, German Michael Hirmer and Swede Oscar Lengden are tied for second place on eight under par, with Lengden firing a round-of-the-day 65 to climb into contention.
Hebert, who shared the lead after the opening round, missed several birdie opportunities on the back nine to extend his advantage further, but he’s confident his game is trending in the right direction.
“It’s been a little bit frustrating on the greens today compared to yesterday,” he said. “My game is still in a good way though, so I’m really happy to be here at the weekend and leading at the moment.
“The greens were definitely firmer this afternoon. It’s also a little bit windier so it’s not that easy to get a good speed but I think the greens are getting better day-by-day. You really have to trust your speed on these greens, and sometimes it’s hard to hit it strong and feel like it’s good.
“It’s quite usual for me as for the last year now I haven’t putted that well. I just try to be focused and try not to be too nervous about it. It’s never easy to hole putts. You need a lot of things going for you.
“I try to be relaxed and go to the next hole without thinking too much about what happened before. I’m practicing each day to try to improve that part of my game.”
The 36-year-old, a six-time winner on the Challenge Tour having won three times in both 2011 and 2014, will keep the same game plan for the final two days.
“I played pretty solid,” he said. “It was good today as I played with Oscar (Lengden) who is second on eight under par, so I could see how he was playing the course.
“I think we played it the same way, so it’s good to know I’m doing the right thing.”
Switerzerland’s Cedric Gugler occupies sixth place on seven under par, with eight players in seventh on six under par including Scotsman Craig Howie, South African Brandon Stone and American Cole Madey.
Round three gets underway at 8.00am local time with Hebert teeing off alongside Fitzpatrick and Hirmer at 11.55am.
