A solid front nine at Parador de El Saler allowed Peter Uihlein to stay in front of the chasing pack in the Open de España.
The American produced a late charge yesterday to end one shot ahead of France’s Raphaël Jacquelin, Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar.
Uihlein quickly picked up where he left off this morning, getting his round off to the perfect start by holing a 25 footer for birdie.
The 542 yard par five third also proved no challenge for the fledgling former US Amateur Champion, who lipped out a pitch for eagle and subsequently tidied up for another birdie.
He did then bogey the sixth, but an outward 35 kept him a shot ahead of Scotland’s Mark Warren, who - having reached seven under alongside Uihlein with gains at three, five and seven - dropped a shot on the ninth.
A shot further back were Scotland’s Craig Lee and England’s David Howell, the former three under for the day through 11 and the latter two under through ten.
Yet they still had some way to go in their efforts to match or better the day’s best round thus far, which was produced by Howell’s countryman David Horsey.
Having began the day one over, he caught fire either side of the turn having appeared set for a disappointing day when bogeys on the second and fifth came either side of picking up a shot at three.
He turned things around in stunning fashion by picking up shots on three successive holes from the sixth. Clearly buoyed, Horsey produced even better on the way in as further birdies came at ten, 13, 14 and 16 to leave him four under overall.
