England's Gary Boyd and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste share the halfway lead in the Volvo China Open in Tianjin.
Englishman in ideal spot to gain first European Tour win
England's Gary Boyd and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Gonnet share the halfway lead in the Volvo China Open in Tianjin.
Both carded five-under 67s in round two to post 11-under on the par 72 Binhai Lake GC.
Boyd, seeking his first European Tour win, posted six birdies with five of them coming in a second nine 31. His only blemish of the day came at the par five 12th, a hole where former China Open winner Paul Casey racked up a quintuple bogey 10 on the way to missing the cut.
South Africa's Branden Grace lies third on his own, one shot behind the leading pair after a bogey-free 67 including an eagle two at the seventh.
Boyd, who birdied five of his last eight holes, said: "It was good out there. I had to stay patient on the front nine and was one over playing my ninth hole but managed to get on in two and two putt for birdie and really get my round going.
Shot of the year
"The back nine I managed to take a few more chances and finished it off with a three wood to eight feet on the ninth - it was the shot of the year so far for me. I hit the driver off the tee and it went left into the bunker and I didn't know if it was a five or three wood but I went for the three and it just came out perfectly and I managed to make the putt.
"I have been playing pretty well and I have just trusted what I have been working on with my old coach since two weeks ago. I was a bit lost in too many thoughts and trying too many different things for a while and that is not something that you want to be doing in tournament golf. It is starting to pay off this week.
"It has been a long while since I was properly up there - probably Czech Republic or Switzerland round about September last year - but I am going to draw on those experiences going into the weekend."
Joint-leader Gonnet has already finished 12th in Abu Dhabi, sixth in India and fifth in Qatar this season so was pleased to continue his good form.
"I played very well again today, even off the tee which is really good for me," he said.
"It's good to be in the lead and the game is in good shape so I have a very good chance to win but I have to try and not think about it.
"My confidence levels are high because I have been playing well for the last two months. I had a lot of fun out there today and that is very important for me on the course, to try and have fun and enjoy it because the last two years have been very tough for me.
"It wasn't tough to keep my card but I wasn't getting too much enjoyment out of the game and I was bringing too much pressure on myself. I know this is a job but, for me, I have to enjoy it and remember why I started playing this game.
"I have to go back to the five year old kid and try to play for fun. That will be the main aim for the weekend - to go out there and try to enjoy it because there is no point in playing the game if you are not having fun."
A 67 left defending champion Nicolas Colsaerts on his own in fourth place at nine under. The Belgian eagled the second and added five birdies and two bogeys on his five-under-par card.
Korean Choi Jin-ho also joined the trend for 67s to finish at eight under, level with Australian Marcus Fraser and Spain's Ignacio Garrido who both made three-under 69s.
A large group follow at seven under, including England's Danny Willett and Oliver Wilson.
Cut-line
Scotland's Scott Jamieson birdied the last three holes to finish inside the two-under-par cut with a stroke to spare, while Ian Poulter was one of a host of players right on the line.
The likes of Marcel Siem, Simon Khan and Ross Fisher missed out by one shot at one under.
Chinese teenager Guan Tian-lang, the youngest player ever to play on the European Tour aged just 13, found the going tough as he carded 79. He did manage birdies at the 18th and seventh, though, and his final 12-over-par total left him ahead of his more experienced compatriots Deng Le-jun, Zhang Yi-ming and Alexander Chen as well as Scotland's Marc Warren.
