Defending champion Søren Kjeldsen looks well placed at the Open de Andalucia de Golf in Malaga after setting the clubhouse target at eight under par.
The Dane's three under par effort included a 30 foot eagle putt at the par five 14th as well as three birdies and two bogeys.
It put him one ahead of England's Richard Finch and Scotland's Peter Whiteford who were both seven under at the halfway stage.
Meanwhile European Tour rookie James Morrison had just 19 putts in a remarkable second round 63 .
The 25 year old from Surrey, who decided on a career in golf after making the same England youth cricket squad as Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan, was in danger of missing the cut when he resumed on one over par.
But on six under par at halfway he was suddenly in contention for the first prize of €166,660.
Morrison, who has already had a fourth place finish in the Africa Open this year, holed a bunker shot and also chipped in twice for the lowest round of his professional life.
The seven under effort, which will constitute a new record for Parador de Málaga Golf, even contained two bogeys after he had turned in 30.
But the World Number 404 then birdied five of the last six and finished things off with his third chip-in.
"Any sport I've played I've achieved decent success and after taking up golf I came down from 18-handicap to scratch in ten months," he said.
"I started at 16 and had my first lesson at 20." A year later he turned pro with a plus-four handicap and then came through last season's Challenge Tour.
Morrison was up into a share of third place, two behind Dane Kjeldsen, who added a three under 67 to his opening 65.
Former Ryder Cup hero Paul McGinley, in his second event back from a sixth knee operation in November, stood five under.
Another European Tour rookie, England's Qualifying School graduate Sam Hutsby, joined Kjeldsen on eight under with a lightning start to his round.
