Danish rookie Hamish Brown joins Eddie Pepperell at the top of the AfrAsia Mauritius Open standings after shooting his second straight 68 on Friday morning.
European Challenge Tour graduate Brown had a hat trick of birdies on the front nine, then added two more birdies apiece after a bogey on No. 17 to enter the weekend at 8 under. .
The first-round leader Pepperell also achieved this result at the halfway stage. Based on his 66 in the second round, he caught 4 birdies and suffered 2 bogeys. Shot 70.
Brown's compatriot Jacob Skov Olesen, who became the first Danish winner of the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in the summer, is tied for third at 7 under. , who qualified for the DP World Tour at Q-School last month, along with South African Christo Lamprecht.
Olson had six birdies and four bogeys in his 70, with the highlight of his round coming in the fifth when his stunning shot set up a birdie.
Lamprecht, meanwhile, was shining around the greens, chipping in for an eagle on No. 13 and finishing with a birdie for a 68.
Pepperell was disappointed when he missed out by one stroke at qualifying school last month, but appears to have rediscovered the form that helped him win two DP World Tour titles.
Starting on the 10th tee on Friday, the Englishman bogeyed the first hole and then hit his shot again on the 13th.
A stunning approach shot on the first hole led to a birdie, and he continued with shots on the fifth and seventh holes, flanked by a bogey on the sixth.
“I do think the work I’ve done on my swing the last few days has definitely been effective,” Pepperell said.
“Hopefully the weekend continues.
“I think it's very good and I have to keep doing it.”
Brown birdied the third, fourth and fifth holes and then added another on the par-4 13th.
His only bogey of the day came on No. 17, but he bounced back with a four-foot birdie on the final hole.
He said: “We’ve only played two rounds so there’s still a lot of golf to play.
“But it's good, I don't doubt that I'm good enough to do the job, but it's still nice to see and do it even though I had a month off and didn't really play much golf.
“I felt a little rusty last week, but it’s getting better.”