Alejandro Cañizares kept his place at the top of leaderboard after two days of the 2021 Austrian Golf Open but he had a two time Major Champion breathing down his neck at Diamond Country Club.
The Spaniard entered day two with a one shot lead and while he dropped three shots in his opening two holes, he recovered to post a 70 and still maintain that narrow advantage at seven under.
Former World Number One Martin Kaymer matched Cañizares with a 70 to stay one back alongside American John Catlin, who also posted a two under par round.
South African Justin Walters was then at five under, a shot ahead of India's S.S.P. Chawrasia, German Maximilian Kieffer, another South African in Jacques Kruyswijk and England's Richard Mansell.
Both Cañizares and Kaymer are looking to end a seven year winless run, with Kaymer's last victory being at the U.S. Open for his second Major and 11th European Tour crown.
Cañizares had won on his just his fourth start in 2006 and followed that with a win at the Trophée Hassan II, while Catlin claimed both of his European Tour victories last season.
Cold conditions were once again the order of the day in Atzenbrugg and Cañizares was happy with how he handled himself in testing temperatures.
"I struggled at the beginning, I then started hitting some great shots, I think the turning point was at the par three 15th hole where I made a long putt for birdie and that triggered it a little bit," he said.
"I started doing very well after that, didn’t make many putts - that was the only one really
"Overall it was a great round.
"I was trying to hit every shot the best that I could because at the start it was really cold and I was feeling it more than yesterday.
Overall it was a great round
"The most important thing was to stay calm and focused and accept the fact that you’re going to be freezing cold and move the best you can with every shot."
Cañizares made a stumbling start as he bogeyed the tenth and made a double on the 11th to quickly go from one ahead to two behind.
A hat-trick of gains from the 14th had him back to parity for the day but he bogeyed the 17th to turn in one over.
He found his form in fine fashion on the front nine, making gains on the first, third, fourth and seventh but when he bogeyed the ninth, he held a two shot lead from the rest of the morning starters.
Kaymer set about trimming that with a pair of two putt gains on the par five first and fourth, with Catlin also at six under after picking up shots with an up-and-down on the first and an eight foot putt on the second.
Dropped shots on the sixth and tenth dropped Catlin back, while Kaymer three putted the sixth but holed a five foot left to righter on the ninth before dropping another shot on the tenth after finding the sand.
The German was back within one with an approach to ten feet at the 12th but did well to drop a single shot after finding bushes off the 14th tee.
He played a nice up-and-down on the 15th to get back within one and was soon joined by Catlin, who followed up an approach to three feet on the 13th with an 18 foot gain on the 17th.
Walters was bogey free as he picked up shots on the first, 13th, 15th and 18th in a 68, a score matched by Chawrasia and Keiffer, while Mansell carded a 71 and Kruyswijk finished with two bogeys in a 72.
Australian Austin Bautista, Scot David Drysdale, American Chase Hanna, Dutchman Joost Luiten and Pole Adrian Meronk were four shots off the lead.
