David Lipsky posted a round of 70 to share the clubhouse lead on a tough second day of the Trophée Hassan II.
Gusting winds made scoring difficult at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam and Lipsky's 70 moved him to five under alongside fellow American Sean Crocker, who carded a 74.
The duo were still behind overnight leader Jordan Smith when they finished their rounds but with the winds getting even stronger, the Englishman bogeyed two of his first four holes to join them.
Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares was also at five under after losing a shot in his first six holes.
England's Lee Slattery, Australian Dimitrios Papadatos and American Julian Suri were then at four under, a shot clear of Spaniard Jorge Campillo, Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan and Austria's Matthias Schwab.
Crocker began the day one shot off the lead but made a horrible start, making three bogeys in a row from the second and adding another on the sixth to tumble down the leaderboard.
Schwab, meanwhile, was heading in the other direction, starting his round with a hat-trick of birdies, and when he added a fourth on the fifth, he shared the lead.
Back to back bogeys on the seventh and eighth saw him fall back and none of the other morning starters would get to seven under.
Crocker bounced back with birdies on the seventh and eighth but dropped shots on the tenth and 12th as compatriots Lipsky and Suri made their moves.
Lipsky started his round with a birdie but gave it back on the 13th before birdieing the 17th and 18th to turn in 35.
A bogey followed on the second but the 30-year-old got up and down from sand on the fifth and then holed a very long right to lefter over the ridge on the sixth to get to five under.
Suri made birdies on the 14th, 15th and 17th and while he dropped a shot on the second, big drives on the fifth and eighth set up birdies on the par fives to move him within one.
Crocker, meanwhile, regained a shot on the 15th and then holed his second on the 17th - which had played as a par three in previous seasons - for an eagle to set the target.
Cañizares then bogeyed the first and third when he got under way and with Suri finding water off the ninth tee for a double-bogey, Smith had extended his lead to two before he had hit a shot.
Bogeys on the first and third then dropped Smith into a share, while Cañizares regained a shot on the fifth.
Slattery made five birdies and four bogeys in a 72 and Papadatos birdied two of his last three holes to sign for the same score.
Schwab dropped further shots on the 14th and last in level par 73, the same score as Reitan, while Campillo carded a 71.
