Scotland's Richie Ramsay vowed to maintain a relaxed attitude as he looks to win the Omega European Masters for the second time in three years this weekend.
Ramsay added a 66 to his opening 62 at Crans-sur-Sierre for a halfway total of 12 under par, one shot ahead of Ryder Cup debutant Jamie Donaldson.
American Brooks Koepka, who was considered for a wild card by US captain Tom Watson, is a shot further back after consecutive rounds of 65, alongside England's Graeme Storm who carded a 66.
Gareth Maybin and Shane Lowry are both on nine under after shooting 67 and 65 respectively. Michael Hoey is two shots further back.
Padraig Harrington (-3), Peter Lawrie (-1) and Darren Clarke (level) all made the cut but Simon Thornton misses the weekend action after rounds of 73 and 72.
"I thought some of the pins were trickier on the back side"
"It was a little bit tougher today," Ramsay told Sky Sports 4. "I thought some of the pins were trickier on the back side and a little bit of rain made the temperature go up and down which makes clubbing difficult.
"But I stayed steady, had a good attitude again and picked up a few shots coming in which was nice, so all in all a good day's work."
Ramsay, who was joint fourth in the Italian Open on Sunday, added: "I have to go with the attitude that I am up there at the top so why not enjoy it? There's nothing to lose.
"If I do that I will have a really good attitude and just go out there, try to enjoy it and pick off a few birdies."
Ramsay looked like enjoying a two-shot lead until Donaldson completed a 64 by spinning his approach to the last to within inches of the hole for a seventh birdie of the day.
"I played well again today, especially on the front nine," said Donaldson, who is seeking back-to-back wins after victory in the Czech Masters sealed his place on the European team for Gleneagles.
"I probably could've gone one or two shots lower today, but as golfers we always say that. We're never happy. Overall, I've got to be very happy with the way I played and the position I'm in.
"There are birdies to be had, but you have to play really aggressively and then you run the risk of getting yourself into trouble. It's a very fair course, but it's also a real test in places so you have to stay patient and not go too gung ho."
Koepka is in his first full season on the European Tour after gaining "battlefield promotion" in 2013 by winning three times on the Challenge Tour.
The 24-year-old carded eight birdies and three bogeys on Friday, one of the dropped shots coming when his drive finished just a few feet out of bounds on the short seventh.
"This is the first tournament venue I've come back to since turning pro, so that's pretty neat," Koepka said. "I've got some great memories of this place from last year, so it's great to be back here - you quickly forget about hitting a bad shot when you notice the views.
"It's the sort of course which you need to know well to play well on. It's pretty tricky in places, but I've made a conscious decision to try to be as aggressive as possible without getting reckless. It seems to be working well so far."
Fellow American David Lipsky was a shot behind Koepka on nine under.
Donaldson's Ryder Cup team-mate player Victor Dubuisson was four shots off the pace after recovering from a double bogey on the 12th, his third hole, to return a 67.
"I'm very, very excited to be part of this amazing team," Dubuisson said. "It's been very hard to qualify this year. I had to have two top 10s in the last two majors to be safe (ninth in the Open and seventh in the US PGA).
"I have a good relationship with all the players so I will just have to manage the pressure because it's my first Ryder Cup and I know it's not easy to play your game.
"Sometimes you want to play a little more safe and then you lose your natural game."
