Carl Yuan will take a one shot lead into the weekend at the Australian PGA Championship after carding a gutsy 65 in round two at RACV Royal Pines Resort.
The Chinese entered day two three shots off the pace but turned in 30 to fly up the leaderboard before a hat-trick of gains from the 11th looked to put him in control.
Back to back bogeys on the 15th and 16th threatened to derail his progress but a birdie on the 17th saw him get to nine under and sit one clear of Australian Anthony Quayle.
Local hero Adam Scott was then at seven under alongside another Australian in Wade Ormsby as locals continued to dominate the leaderboard.
Yuan has produced a string of strong performances in his native China but is making just his eighth European Tour appearance and first since an impressive top 20 at the WGC-HSBC Champions.
"It was a great day," he said. "I played great, played smart, stuck to the plan.
"I was fortunate enough that I got a couple of really long putts dropped through the round. I made two little mistakes but really pulled myself together and kept it going."
The 22-year-old made birdies on the first, third, fifth and seventh before an eagle on the par five ninth saw him turn in 30 and jump to the top of the leaderboard.
A bogey on the tenth threatened to stall his momentum but he hit back with two birdies before a very long right to left putt on the 13th had him in double figures.
Those two bogeys then saw him stumble back into a share of top spot before he birdied the 17th to lead the way.
Quayle made an early bogey on the 11th but birdied the next and then eagled the 15th. A bogey on the third left him well back but he birdied five of his final six holes to fly up the leaderboard, getting up and down from the sand on the last.
Earlier in the day, Ormsby - the 2018 UBS Hong Kong Open champion - birdied the 11th and 12th to hit the front and further gains on the 15th and 18th moved him to eight under.
Bogeys on the third and sixth then stalled his progress and left the door open for 2013 champion Scott.
The ten time European Tour winner had eagled the 15th for the second day in a row but was still off the pace when he birdied the third but gave the shot straight back.
Birdies on the sixth and seventh put him in a share of the lead and when he made a two putt gain on the ninth, he led alone.
But Ormsby also took advantage of the par five and the duo were tied at the top and had set the target.
New Zealander Michael Hendry and Australian Tom Power Horan were then at six under, a shot clear of South Africa's Bryce Easton and two time defending champion Cameron Smith.
Smith started the day seven shots off the lead but produced a bogey free 65 to reignite his hopes of joining Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie in winning the same event three seasons in a row.
