Edoardo Molinari fired a second consecutive bogey free 66 to establish his first ever halfway lead on the European Tour at the D+D Real Czech Masters.
The Italian has had a brilliant career so far, claiming three European Tour titles and being part of winning teams at the Ryder Cup and the World Cup of Golf but he had never had a 36 hole lead before this week at Albatross Golf Resort.
His two blemish free opening rounds – the first time he has achieved that feat since the 2010 European Masters – moved the 38-year-old to 12 under, two shots clear of 2015 champion Thomas Pieters.
England’s Sam Horsfield, Swede Robert Karlsson, Chilean Hugo Leon and Austrian Matthias Schwab were then at nine under.
The best South African through 36 holes is Jacques Kruyswijk, who moved up 15 places on Friday. The Centurion golfer booked himself a late tee time as he finished inside the top 10 despite a bogey on his penultimate hole.
It was two three-hole blitzes that did the trick as he handed back his first hole gain at the second. It took one hole to settle before he rattled off three consecutive gains. He repeated the feat as he began his inward nine to move past Erik van Rooyen, who settled for a par round.
Van Rooyen dropped 12 places to T14 and five shots adrift after a round that included two sixes and just three birdies.
Countrymen JC Ritchie and rookie Wilco Nienaber join him in the bunch at -7 with Zander Lombard one further back.
Dean Burmester and Haydn Porteous made the cut after rounds of 69 and 70 respectively. The pair are seven back heading into Saturday’s third round.
Bryce Easton and Mathiam Keyser joined Darren Fichardt and Justin Walters on making the cut on the number as the quartet made it 11 South Africans safely into weekend play.
Photo: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
