Richard Sterne set the clubhouse target as increased winds made scoring more difficult on day two of the Made in Denmark.
Joakim Lagergren, Thomas Pieters and Tom Lewis had all equalled the course record on Thursday with rounds of 62, but they began to move backwards in their second rounds as Sterne moved through the field.
After a disappointing first round of 75 left him in serious danger of failing to make the cut, Shane Lowry bounced back yesterday with a six-under-par 65. Teeing off on the back nine, the Irishman hit three birdies on the 13th, 16th and 17th holes – his only blemish being a bogey on the par 4 15th. He then birdied four of his last six holes and will take great confidence heading into today's third round.
With Europe Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke set to name his three wildcard picks next Tuesday, Lowry needs to contend this weekend, and yesterday’s round puts him back in the race to do exactly that.
Meanwhile, the South African, Sterne, fired a 67 to get to the overnight lead of nine under, two shots behind Welshman Bradley Dredge who picked up three shots in his opening six holes.
England’s Lewis shot a one over par 72 to sit at eight under alongside Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and Swede Lagergren, who had a single bogey and seven pars in his first eight holes.
Low round
Oliver Wilson shared the low round of the day with a 65 to sit at seven under with local favourites Søren Kjeldsen and Jeff Winther, and South African Thomas Aiken, who all signed for 67s.
Belgian Pieters – playing alongside Ryder Cup captain Clarke as he seeks a pick for Hazeltine – was also at seven under with two bogeys in his first five holes.
Sterne, a six-time European Tour winner, has been plagued with back problems and is playing this week on a medical exemption. He showed plenty of class as he raced up the leaderboard with two birdies and an eagle in his first six holes.
Bogeys came on the seventh and 10th but further gains on the 15th and 16th saw him moving in the right direction again.
Lewis had also made an early move with birdies on the third and sixth but he would go on to record four bogeys. Otaegui eagled the sixth for the second consecutive day, adding four birdies and a bogey in a 66.
Winther holed a wedge from 38 yards on the par four 14th and found the green in two on the sixth for two big birds while Kjeldsen went birdie-par-birdie-eagle from the fourth.
