Thomas Aiken is the new leader of the Open de Espana following a four-under-par second round in Barcelona.
The 27-year-old South African began the day two shots behind overnight leader Scott Jamieson, but he capitalised on a par round by the Glaswegian to improve to eight-under, one stroke ahead of Pablo Larrazabal and two ahead of Jamieson and three others.
Aiken, coming into this tournament on the back of a seven-week break, ensured his bogeys at the par-three eighth and par-four 16th did not prove too costly as he made six birdies in a round of 68.
Jamieson, meanwhile, started the day in dreadful fashion with successive bogeys at the first two holes, and a third at the par-four sixth threatened to put him into freefall.
However, the 27-year-old Scot turned things around with a birdie on the following hole, and two more on the back nine made sure he at least remained six-under for the tournament, giving him a share of third place with Romain Wattel, Alvaro Velasco and Anthony Wall.
Home hope Larrazaval improved to seven-under, one behind leader Aiken, with three birdies and one bogey in a second-round 70, and he could be the host nation’s best chance of a winner with veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez well off the pace and defending champion Alvaro Quiros eliminated.
Jimenez’s two birdies were wiped out by a double-bogey at the eighth as he signed for a par-round that keeps him at one-under, but unlike Quiros he will still be competing this weekend.
Quiros was desperate to bounce back from a two-over opening round of 74 but the 28-year-old could only par his second-round at Terrassa, with four birdies eclipsed by four bogeys, and that was not enough to prevent him from missing the halfway cut.
