Ross McGowan held on to his one-shot lead at the 2022 Made in HimmerLand after shooting a six-under-par 65 in the second round.
McGowan sits on 15 under, one ahead of his fellow Englishman Richard Mansell and Italian Francesco Laporta after another day of low scoring in Denmark.
The 40-year-old McGowan, a two-time DP World Tour winner, signed for a 62 late on Thursday and he was raring to go as an early starter on Friday.
He burst out the traps with six birdies on his front nine, holing big putts at the first, seventh and ninth with a combined length of around 60 feet.
His only dropped shot on the way out was at the sixth before back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th but he cancelled them out by firing his tee-shot at the tiny 16th in to six feet and knocking in the putt before finishing with another birdie.
McGowan, who also birdied the 11th, said: “It was good, I played pretty solid early doors although I mis-clubbed a couple of times as the weather started getting warmer, and I didn’t adjust quick enough so I made a silly bogey at six.
“But I bounced back well with a few birdies to close the front nine and then a couple of silly mistakes on the back nine and a couple of bogeys, but I finished well.
“It’s good, I’m looking forward to the weekend and hopefully I can put together a few rounds similar to the first two.”
Mansell started at the tenth and after birdies at the 12th, 15th and first, he eagled the fifth for the second day in a row, firing his second to the par five in to three feet. The 27-year-old, who hit 17 of 18 greens, picked up two more birdies at the seventh and eighth and said: “To shoot 64 yesterday and back it up with another one is a good thing.
"The course is scoreable, but you’ve still got to go and do it so I’m happy.
“I don’t feel like I’m doing a lot different to the last few weeks really, I’ve just had two days bogey free and cut out mistakes.
"We’ve been playing good stuff for a while, just not made any mistakes this week, and when I did have to knock some par putts, I rolled them in confidently so if I can keep that going, that’s a good sign.
“I eagled five as well yesterday and it’s just a hole where you don’t try to chase it, just hit the fairway and hit the green and try to make four at worst – that seems to have worked out quite nicely so far with two eagles.
“This is why you practise every day and work so hard, to be in contention. I feel like the last couple of years in Covid, I was really starting to kick on and that just held me back a little bit so I’m glad I’ve kicked on this year. If I can keep knocking on the door I’m sure it will open soon.”
Laporta began with a birdie at the tenth and posted three more in a row from the 14th. For the second straight day he bogeyed the second, birdied the third and managed an eagle at the fifth, this time knocking in a seven-feet putt.
He was within one shot of the lead after another birdie at the eighth and a putt at nine needed a couple of extra rolls to tie the lead.
But he is nicely placed after another 64 – and that is three in a row as he closed out last week’s Omega European Masters with the same number.
He said: "I’m feeling good, played solid today and yesterday, the putter is working well and my long game is working well so I look forward to the next two days.
"Everything looks great here, the practice facilities, the course is amazing and the crowds – when you walk on to 16 it’s unreal – it’s going to be really busy the next two days.”
Home hopes Marcus Helligkilde and Søren Kjeldsen, England’s Tom Lewis and Scot Ewen Ferguson were on 12 under.
