A course record 62 gave Pablo Larrazábal the clubhouse lead midway through the second round of the KLM Open at Kennemer Golf & Country Club.
The Spaniard enjoyed a remarkable start to his round, setting off from the tenth with six consecutive birdies.
Three further gains on the way in, along with a solitary dropped shot at the short eighth, propelled the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Champion to an eight under par round and ten under halfway total.
That was two clear of France’s Romain Wattel and American Peter Uihlein, both of whom still had four holes of their second rounds remaining.
“I started very fast with birdies on the first six holes and then I tried just to play golf and put myself in position to make some more but the round cooled down a little bit in the middle,” said former Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Larrazábal.
“After starting with six birdies I was thinking, it is a par 70, I only need five more [for a first 59 on The European Tour]. The middle of the round it cooled down but it was a great shot into the last to finish with a 62.
“I was aware of the 59 more than the course record. I thought about the 59 when I started with six birdies. I thought I only need five more to make the magic number, but maybe I put pressure on a bit more. I’ve a few course records around Spain but none on The European Tour, so it is nice.
“It is tough to make birdies here but I putted great. I worked on Wednesday with my coach and my reading is a lot better - I’m making putts. I’m hitting the ball good, not as good as the past, but I’m making putts.”
The 25 year old Uihlein almost matched Larrazábal’s brilliant outward 28, carding five birdies to race to the turn in 29 before a dropped shot at the first checked his progress.
Wattel, chasing a maiden European Tour title after 15 top-ten finishes, was five under for the day after six birdies and a single bogey.
Dutchman Luiten was among the afternoon starters after his opening lead gave him a share of the lead on day one, but overnight co-leader Jamie McLeary had slipped down the leaderboard after resuming his first round with a pair of closing bogeys and then dropping two further shots after a swift turnaround to start round two.
Uihlein birdied the 11th, his second, to join Luiten on five under, with Italians Edoardo Molinari and Andrea Pavan and French pair Gary Stal and Romain Wattel a shot further back.
