Defending champion Keita Nakajima continued his love affair with DLF Golf and Country Club as he fired a stunning second-round 66 to share the lead with Eugenio Chacarra at the halfway stage of the Hero Indian Open.
With the tricky host course showing its teeth on Friday, many of those who had gone low in round one found themselves slipping down the leaderboard.
But Japanese star Nakajima made a huge move in the right direction in the afternoon, turning in 29 after carding seven birdies and no bogeys on the front nine.
He then mixed two birdies with three bogeys and produced some wonderful par saves on the homeward nine to head into the weekend on four under par alongside Chacarra after the pair had taken it in turns to lead for much of the afternoon.
Spain’s Chacarra made six birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in his 70.
The co-leaders were two shots clear of the large group in a tie for third on two under.
South Africa’s Brandon Stone shared eighth position with six other players on one under after carding 73.
Last year’s winner Nakajima started the day six shots off the lead on two over par but soon set about closing the gap, as he opened his round with a birdie from five feet before rolling in a monster birdie putt on the 3rd to return to level par.
He then chipped in for another birdie at the 4th and holed from around 10 feet on the short fifth to make it a hat-trick of gains but the 24-year-old was still four shots adrift of the charging Chacarra.
Nakajima holed another long-ranger at the 6th for a fourth successive birdie before making it five on the bounce from six feet at the 7th to close the gap to two.
But after Chacarra made a double-bogey on the 17th, Nakajima found himself tied at the top, and he soon led on his own after getting up an down for a birdie on the 9th to turn in 29.
Having saved par from five feet at the 10th, Nakajima bogeyed the 11th but curled in from 20 feet at the 13th for a birdie.
He gave the shot straight back on the 14th but a monster birdie putt at the 15th saw him regain the outright lead.
And he made vital saves at the 16th and 17th to stay there before surrendering a bogey at the last to finish on four under.
Chacarra started at the 10th tee and made a hat-trick of gains at the 11th, 12th and 13th before holing from three feet on the 15th to move to six under.
A double bogey at the 17th stalled his progress but he got the shots back with birdies on the 18th and 3rd respectively after first producing a delightful chip and then sending his tee-shot to tap-in range.
But back-to-back bogeys on the 4th and 5th saw Chacarra finish the day on four under.
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
