Matthias Schwab stood up to everything Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort could throw at him, and emerged with a one-shot lead heading into the weekend at the Made in Denmark.
The Austrian was faced with cold, wet and windy conditions in Farsø, but produced a stunning bogey-free 66 to move to eight-under.
That handed him a three-shot lead, and while the weather improved in the afternoon, the wind was unrelenting. Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares and Frenchman Romain Langasque were the only players who could get any closer.
Langasque joined Schwab in carding a bogey-free 66, while Cañizares signed for a 69.
Scot Robert MacIntyre, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros and Austrian Bernd Wiesberger were then three shots off the lead.
Schwab finished an impressive 72nd on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex in his rookie 2018 season, and has been a picture of consistency so far this campaign.
He has two top tens from ten made cuts in 12 events as he looks to edge ever closer to a first European Tour victory.
Only one South African is under-par through 36 holes – Haydn Porteous – with seven of his countrymen heading home, including Erik van Rooyen.
The cut fell at +1, with Van Rooyen coming home in four-over par to miss the mark by one. He was joined at +2 by Justin Walters, Dean Burmester and George Coetzee, who dropped five shots in four holes on his inward nine to fall down the board.
Behind Porteous is Louis de Jager, who bogeyed five holes between the second and seventh en route to a 75, and Darren Fichardt at +1.
Doubles at 10 and 11 put paid to Jaco van Zyl’s week as he finished three strokes off a place on the weekend. Zander Lombard (+6) and Jacques Kruyswijk (+7) brought up the rear from the local charge.
