Summary Branden Grace strengthened his lead at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship on Friday.
MALELANE (AFP) - South Africa s Branden Grace strengthened his lead going into the weekend at the European Tour s Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on Friday with a second-round 66 to move to 16 under.
Grace followed up a stunning 10-under-par opening round of 62 on Thursday with a six-under-par 66 that was marred only by a bogey at the short fifth hole.
Three clear overnight, the 26-year-old s round, which started on the back nine, featured seven birdies, including a long putt to gain a shot at the ninth, his last hole.
As a result, Grace, who won all four of his European Tour titles to date in 2012, is five shots clear of Italy s Francesco Molinari, with South African Tjaart van der Waalt third at 10-under.
"This is a golf course that suits me and if I keep hitting everything in play the way I have been the first two days then it should be a good weekend," Grace, who hails from Pretoria, told europeantour.com.
Former Ryder Cup star Molinari moved up the leaderboard with a 65 that included an eagle at the par-five 13th hole.
"I played really well today," said Molinari. "I holed some really good putts - the last four or five holes could have been better, but seven under is always a good round."
It was a good day for another Italian, with 17-year-old prospect Renato Paratore shooting five birdies in a row on the front nine on the way to a four-under-par 68 that allowed him to make the cut on three-under altogether.
Further forward, Shaun Norris, Lucas Bjerregaard and England s Danny Willett, who won last week s Nedbank Golf Challenge, are all tied for fourth at nine-under.
In contrast, defending champion Charl Schwartzel s hopes of winning the event for the third year running were not helped by a 70 which left him 11 shots off the lead.
