Chris Paisley rode a final-nine 5-under 30 to a second consecutive 65 and the top seeding heading into the weekend at the Belgian Knockout.
The Englishman moved to 12 under to finish one shot clear of Section B winner, and overnight leader, Anton Karlsson (68), with the top 32 from Sections A and B advancing to the knockout stages at Rinkven International Golf Club.
It was the third straight 65 for Paisley, going back to the final round of last week’s Made in Denmark event where a Sunday 65 moved him into the top 5.
“It’s great to play well again, to follow up a low round with another one is great,” said Paisley, who won his maiden Tour event last year in South Africa.
“I played very similar to how I did yesterday, kept myself in play off the tee and hit a lot of nice wedge shots and holed a few mid-range putts. You have a lot of wedges into these greens and I seem to be hitting it straight at the moment so it sets up perfectly for me.
“I’m playing well, I enjoy match play, I enjoy the course so I’ve got a chance.”
The remaining 64 players will be re-seeded, based on overall scores and go head-to-head over six rounds of nine-holes matches using a stroke-play format.
Last week’s winner Bernd Wiesberger carded a low-round 64 to recover from an opening 76 to finish 2-under par and sneak into the weekend by a shot.
2019 Belgian Knockout
Section A: Top 5
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 2)
1. Chris Paisley -12 (-6)
2. Espen Kofstad -9 (-4)
3. Darius Van Driel -8 (-6)
4. Oliver Wilson -7 (-3)
5. Dean Burmester -6 (E)
5. Guido Migliozzi -6 (5)
Section B: Top 5
1. Anton Karlsson -11 (-3)
2. Justin Walters -9 (-4)
3. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano -8 (-2)
4. Robert MacIntyre -7 (-2)
4. David Horsey -7 (-2)
4. Gavin Green -7 (-5)
Overall: Top 10
1. Chris Paisley -12 (-6)
2. Anton Karlsson -11 (-3)
3. Justin Walters -9 (-4)
3. Espen Kofstad -9 (-4)
5. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano -8 (-2)
5. Darius Van Driel -8 (-6)
7. Gavin Green -7 (-5)
7. Robert MacIntyre -7 (-2)
7. David Horsey -7 (-2)
7. Oliver Wilson -7 (-3)
