Scott Jamieson carded a stunning 65 to top a congested leaderboard at the halfway mark of the KLM Open.
Jamieson has not been in the winner’s circle since claiming his only European Tour title at the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS HANDA in 2013, but the Scot has been in fine form this season.
The 35-year-old has registered five top 15 finishes, including a tie for third at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December and will be in contention for his second title after moving to 11 under par at The International.
While Jamieson has one European Tour crown to his name, Sergio Garcia in is pursuit of number 16 in the Netherlands and the Spaniard carded a five-under par 67 to sit alongside English trio James Morrison, Callum Shinkwin and Matthew Southgate in a tie for second at nine-under.
Garcia is making his debut at the 100th edition of the KLM Open but had no troubles at the difficult Amsterdam golf course as he rolled in six birdies and just one dropped shot.
Morrison set the clubhouse target on Friday morning courtesy of two eagles in the space of four holes, five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey in an entertaining five-under par 67.
Shinkwin carded four birdies in 14 holes to reach ten under, only to register two bogeys – including a shoehorn par putt at the last – and a gain in his final four holes to squander the solo lead before Jamieson surged to the top, while Southgate holed six birdies and two bogeys to sit two shots adrift.
It was Morrison who made the first move with back to back birdies at the 11th and 12th to join Shinkwin at six under, and Kurt Kitayama who reached that mark with a crazy card of an eagle, five birdies and four bogeys through 13 holes.
Morrison jumped ahead on his own with a terrific chip-in eagle at the 15th to edge two shots clear of the chasing pack.
A bogey at the next saw him drop to seven under alongside German Maximilian Kieffer, but regained breathing space with his second eagle in four holes to go two shots clear.
Morrison moved three shots clear with a birdie at the second to be the first player to reach double figures this week.
However, by the end of the next hole, Kieffer was back alongside the Englishman when he tapped in for a birdie after narrowly missing a monster eagle putt at the third, while Morrison found water to card a double-bogey at the same hole.
Kieffer bogeyed the seventh to hand Morrison sole lead and he took full advantage with a birdie at the sixth to move two clear once again before improving his advantage to ten under with a gain at the eighth, only to hand the shot back at ninth – his last.
Shinkwin began the day as the leader at six under and was at the top alongside his fellow Englishman at the turn after birdies at the 12th, 14th and 18th.
Another birdie at the fifth gave Shinkwin the outright lead, only to three putt at the next to card his first dropped shot.
The 26-year-old responded with gain at the 17th to move back to ten under and looked set to maintain his lead at the but three putted again for a second bogey.
Garcia began with an opening birdie before registering his only bogey of the round at the sixth to remain at four under, however, the Spaniard was only looking up.
Back to back birdies from the seventh propelled him to six-under at the turn before two more at the 14th and 15th had the 15 time European Tour winner one off the lead.
Southgate went round his front nine in level par after birdie at the second and bogey at the ninth. He replied with a hat-trick of gains from the tenth to get to eight under and when he picked up a shot at the 15th, he was co-leader.
Garcia produced a remarkable par save at the 17th with a sublime chip to close range and hit an equally impressive second shot at the par-five last but his eagle putt rolled up inches short.
Jamieson made his ascent up the leaderboard with a hat-trick of birdies from the third to get to seven-under par before another at the tenth and when he recorded his fifth gain at the 14th, it was a five-way tie at the top.
Southgate made an incredible par save at the 16th before bogeying the next, while Jamieson birdied the 15th to take the outright lead for the first time at 11 under.
Southgate returned to nine under with a birdie at the last, with Jamieson following suit to extend his lead to two shots heading into the weekend.
Another Englishman Sam Horsfield mixed eight birdies, five bogeys and five pars in his roller coaster 69 to reach eight under alongside 18-year-old Dane Nicolai Højgaard.
Former KLM Open winner Thomas Pieters led a group of nine players one shot further back at seven-under.
