Thongchai Jaidee continued the theme of resurgent veterans at this season's Omega European Masters as he fired a 66 to set the clubhouse target on day two at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club.
Miguel Angel Jiménez, 53, fired a 64 on day one to take a share of the overnight but he was passed by 47 year old Jaidee on Friday as the Thai made an eagle and three birdies to get to nine under.
European Tour rookie Ryan Fox fired a 67 to sit a shot off the lead alongside Made in Denmark champion Julian Suri, one ahead of Swede Alexander Björk and South African Richard Sterne.
England's Tyrrell Hatton was also at seven under after four holes alongside Scot David Drysdale who had played three.
Ricardo Gonzalez rolled back the years to sit in the clubhouse at six under, with Fabrizio Zanotti and Scott Hend in the early stages of their rounds.
Jaidee has just one top ten so far this season but is looking for a fourth consecutive campaign with a win and a ninth European Tour title in total.
He recorded a first blemish of the week on the tenth but bounced back with a birdie on the 12th, an eagle on the par five 15th and another gain on the 18th. Another birdie followed on the fourth and he missed good chances on the sixth and seventh as he finished with five pars.
Fox had a roller coaster of a morning, starting with a double-bogey but recording a hat-trick of birdies from the 14th before dropping a shot on the 17th. Back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth were followed by a bogey on the next but the New Zealander used his prolific distance at altitude to take advantage of the drivable seventh and par five ninth.
American Suri birdied the 14th and 17th and then broke a run of seven pars with an eagle after chipping in on the seventh. An excellent second on the ninth got him to the side of the green and he got up and down for a closing birdie.
Björk joined Jaidee in starting with a bogey but he made gains on the second, fourth, tenth, 13th and 14th before rolling in a 15-footer on the last.
Sterne also made an early bogey on the fourth but birdies on the seventh, ninth, tenth and 12th moved him up the leaderboard. He dropped a shot on the 14th but rallied again birdieing the 15th, 17th and 18th for the second day in a row.
Gonzalez - the oldest Qualifying School graduate in Tour history at 47 - was another veteran enjoying a good week as he recovered from two opening bogeys in a 65.
The Argentinian dropped shots on the first and fifth but fought back with gains on the sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth, 11th, 12th and 14th.
Darren Fichardt, Carlos Pigem, Todd Sinnott and Duncan Stewart were five under on the front nine.
Lee Slattery became a father for the second time this week after finishing second at the D+D REAL Czech Masters with his wife over a week overdue. You could have forgiven him for being distracted as he shot an opening 75 but he came roaring back with a 62 to sit at three under.
