Andy Sullivan fired a course-record 63 to share the lead with fellow Englishman Richard Mansell after two rounds of the Porsche Singapore Classic, with Shane Lowry stalling and Tom McKibbin missing the cut.
Sullivan, a 2016 Ryder Cup player, came home in 28 to get to nine under and sit atop the leaderboard alongside German Freddy Schott, with Mansell birdieing two of his last three holes to sign for a 69 and make it a three-way tie late in the day.
Lowry had started the day five off the lead having stated that he needed to be "a bit more in control of my emotions" after an opening-day 69, but his mood was unlikely to have been helped by a 73 that saw him reach the halfway point on two under, seven shots off the leading trio.
Starting at the 10th, the Offaly man had two double bogeys in his first seven holes - but just like in round one, he had a spurt of birdies on the course's opening stretch. Indeed, having birdied the 18th, his ninth hole, Lowry ran in four birdies in a row before bogeys at the sixth and ninth saw him fall back.
With the cut-line eventually settling at one under, McKibbin knew he'd need to hit par or better but a second-round 74 saw his tournament come to a premature end.
Much of the damage was done at the 11th - his third hole - as he triple bogeyed and although he responded with two birdies to be out in one over, his front nine contained eight birdies and a closing bogey.
Sullivan was in a class of his own on day two though, his 63 being the lowest round of the day by four shots.
Starting on the 10th, he picked up two birdies on the back nine but then went birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie from the first, adding further gains on the sixth and eighth to fly up the leaderboard.
"It was unreal, I just caught fire," said Sullivan. "Knocked it close on one and holed a good one on two and then literally three feet for eagle on three.
"I felt like I played well yesterday without the score being there but golf being the crazy game that it is, it has a way of rewarding you sometimes."
Mansell made five birdies to go with a double-bogey on the ninth as he looks to continue the form that has seen him claim top 10s in his last two starts.
"I really felt like a score was there to be shot, I feel really good with my game but my short game and putter got me out of jail a little bit in the middle of the round," he said.
Additional reporting: PA
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