Matthieu Pavon kept hold of the lead after making birdies at four of his last six holes for a second-round 68 to reach 11-under at the acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.
"I'll just stick to my plan," said the Frenchman. "You can have a lot of opportunities out here, it's just about staying patient and waiting for some putts to drop and then trying to catch the good momentum on the par fives.
"It looks like it's really a place that suits my game. I have a lot of memories from last year so I really feel comfortable on the course. I see shots quickly with the yardages I've got.
"Today was a strange day, it could have been much better had I started stronger but it could have been worse also so I'm very pleased with the round today.
"I know that I'm putting great this week and that I would have a couple of chances on my back nine because there are two par fives.
"I just tried to stay patient and just wait for one putt to drop and that is what happened - I dropped a putt on the second for par and all of a sudden everything clicked in a little bit and I had some momentum."
Dutchman Wil Besseling also closed with a 68 to stay in second place at 10-under alongside India's Shubhankar Sharma who carded a 66.
Spain's Alfredo Garcia-Heredia shot a bogey-free 64 for a share of fourth place at 9-under alongside France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera (68).
