Madalitso Muthiya and Kurt Kitayama both moved to the top of the leaderboard as day two of the South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg got under way at Randpark Golf Club.
The duo entered the day a shot behind overnight leader Louis Oosthuizen but both picked up a shot on the front nine to move to nine under and make it a three-way tie at the top.
South African Jbe Kruger and Brazilian Adilson da Silva were then at eight under, a shot clear of Zimbabwean Mark Williams.
Kitayama was playing the shorter, narrower Bushwillow Course on Friday, while Muthiya was tackling the Firethorn.
The American quickly picked up where he had left off on Thursday with a birdie on the first to join Oosthuizen in the lead and it was soon a three-way tie as Muthiya made a gain on the fourth.
A first bogey of the week from Kitayama on the sixth dropped him out of the lead but he bounced straight back on the next, with Muthiya then dropping his first shot on the eighth.
The Zambian produced a bounceback of his own, however, making a gain on the ninth to once again make it a three-way tie.
Kruger started with a bogey but then birdied the second, fourth, eighth and ninth to turn in 32 on the Firethorn before bogeying the tenth and birdieing the 13th.
Da Silva was also playing the Firethorn and after a bogey on the third, he made gains on the fourth, sixth, ninth and 12th.
Williams birdied the first in his opening three holes on the longer layout.
Charl Schwartzel was two under through seven holes to sit three shots off the lead alongside Zander Lombard, who was one over after five.
