Marc Warren continued his recent resurgence in form as he set the clubhouse target at 14 under on day two of the Portugal Masters.
The Scot has endured a frustrating season so far, missing 12 cuts in 26 events as he searches for a fourth European Tour win and a first since his triumph at the Made in Denmark in 2014.
A fifth-placed finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship two weeks ago was his best result of the season so far and he has brought that form to Victoria Clube de Golfe, firing opening rounds of 63-65.
The 35 year old began his week with six straight birdies on Thursday and while he could not quite match that on day two, he recorded seven birdies and a bogey to open up a three-shot lead over Frenchman Raphaël Jacquelin.
Warren's countrymen Paul Lawrie and Richie Ramsay - who fired a brilliant low-round of the season 61 - were then at ten under alongside Englishman Chris Paisley.
Oliver Fisher, Scott Jamieson and Brett Rumford were all fighting to get into the top 111 on the Race to Dubai and keep their playing privileges and were in a fine position at nine under, but fellow players on the bubble Eddie Pepperell and Craig Lee looked set to miss the cut.
Warren, starting on the tenth, turned in 33 with birdies on the 12th, 14th and 15th and when he made further gains on the second, third and sixth, he was nine under for the week on the opening six holes.
He recorded just his second bogey of the week with a five on the seventh for the second consecutive day but an impressive lengthy putt on the ninth handed him a sizeable advantage.
Jacquelin was a picture of consistency and looked set for a blemish free effort with birdies on the fourth, fifth, eighth, 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th but a bogey on the last saw him record a 65.
There has been much talk of a potential 59 this week on the rough-free layout and Ramsay had the fans excited as he turned in 32 from the tenth and then rattled off five birdies in a row from the second. Just one more gain would come from the eighth, though, as Ramsay went ten shots lower than his first round.
Lawrie finished second here in 2008 and he recorded seven birdies and two bogeys in a second consecutive 66, while Paisley had five birdies and a bogey in his 67.
Finn Mikko Korhonen is 116th on the Race to Dubai and he made three birdies in his first three holes to join the group at ten under, needing a top 26 finish to have a chance of keeping his card.
Australian Rumford's 66 was highlighted by an eagle on the 17th, while Scot Jamieson signed for a 64 and England's Fisher carded a 67.
Robert Rock started his round with five straight birdies but ended up signing for a 66 to join the group at nine under.
Graeme Storm - 115th on the Race to Dubai - holed a monster putt on the ninth in his 66 to sit in the group at eight under, with 113th-ranked Jason Scrivener at the same mark.
Dane Lucas Bjerregaard, local favourite Ricardo Gouveia and German Marcel Siem were also eight under.
There was heartbreak for number 110 Pepperell as he went out of bounds off the tee on the ninth to finish his 76 with a double-bogey and slip the wrong side of the projected cut-line.
Playing partner Lee had given himself hope with a brilliant eagle on the fifth but a bogey on the ninth dropped him to three under and he faced an anxious wait.
