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Amazing Grace leads Dunhill

Malelane - Branden Grace has strengthened his lead going into the weekend at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on Friday with a second-round 66 to move to 16 under.

Grace followed up a stunning 10-under-par opening round of 62 on Thursday with a six-under-par 66 that was marred only by a bogey at the short fifth hole.

Three clear overnight, the 26-year-old's round, which started on the back nine, featured seven birdies, including a long putt to gain a shot at the ninth, his last hole.

As a result, Grace, who won all four of his European Tour titles to date in 2012, is five shots clear of Italy's Francesco Molinari, with South African Tjaart van der Waalt third at 10-under.

"This is a golf course that suits me and if I keep hitting everything in play the way I have been the first two days then it should be a good weekend," Grace, who hails from Pretoria, told europeantour.com.

Former Ryder Cup star Molinari moved up the leaderboard with a 65 that included an eagle at the par-five 13th hole.

"I played really well today," said Molinari. "I holed some really good putts - the last four or five holes could have been better, but seven under is always a good round."

It was a good day for another Italian, with 17-year-old prospect Renato Paratore shooting five birdies in a row on the front nine on the way to a four-under-par 68 that allowed him to make the cut on three-under altogether.

Further forward, Shaun Norris, Lucas Bjerregaard and England's Danny Willett, who won last week's Nedbank Golf Challenge, are all tied for fourth at nine-under.

In contrast, defending champion Charl Schwartzel's hopes of winning the event for the third year running were not helped by a 70 which left him 11 shots off the lead.

Scores (RSA unless otherwise specified):
128 - Branden Grace 62 66
133 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 68 65
134 - Tjaart van der Walt 67 67
135 - Shaun Norris 68 67, Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN) 68 67, Danny Willett (ENG) 66 69
136 - Morten Orum Madsen (DEN) 70 66, Chris Swanepoel 68 68, Louis de Jager 69 67, Andrew Johnston (ENG) 69 67
137 - Jbe' Kruger 68 69, Shiv Kapur (IND) 71 66, Jake Roos 65 72, Michael Hollick 67 70
138 - Scott Jamieson (SCO) 68 70, Johan Carlsson (SWE) 70 68, Christiaan Basson 69 69, Alex Haindl 71 67, Nacho Elvira (ESP) 67 71, Benjamin Hebert (FRA) 68 70, Louis Oosthuizen 69 69
139 - Kevin Stone 68 71, Jaco Ahlers 70 69, Jacques Blaauw 71 68, Charl Schwartzel 69 70, Danie van Tonder 70 69, Andrew Curlewis 72 67, Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 69 70, David Drysdale (SCO) 71 68, Mark Murless 71 68, Eduardo de la Riva (ESP) 70 69
140 - Jean Hugo 69 71, Trevor Fisher Jnr 73 67, Dylan Frittelli 70 70, Byeong-hun An (KOR) 71 69, Craig Lee (SCO) 68 72, John Hahn (USA) 70 70
141 - Alessandro Tadini (ITA) 73 68, James Kamte 72 69, Hennie Otto 74 67, Lee Slattery (ENG) 71 70, Justin Harding 71 70, Rhys West 73 68, Martin du Toit 74 67, Renato Paratore (ITA) 73 68, Julien Quesne (FRA) 69 72, Matt Ford (ENG) 66 75, Oliver Bekker 74 67, Magnus A Carlsson (SWE) 68 73, Tyrone Ferreira 72 69, Carlos Del Moral (ESP) 68 73
142 - Ross McGowan (ENG) 72 70, Daniel Brooks (ENG) 70 72, Chris Paisley (ENG) 70 72, Thomas Pieters (BEL) 71 71, Jason Barnes (ENG) 69 73, Darren Fichardt 74 68, Soren Hansen (DEN) 69 73, Ulrich van den Berg 70 72, Espen Kofstad (NOR) 70 72, Richard Sterne 71 71, Pedro Oriol (ESP) 70 72
143 - Pablo Martin Benavides (ESP) 73 70, Richard McEvoy (ENG) 75 68, Jason Palmer (ENG) 70 73, Lasse Jensen(DEN) 75 68, Steve Surry (ENG) 71 72, Max Orrin (ENG) 72 71, Bradley Neil (AMA) (SCO) 73 70, Robert Rock (ENG) 71 72, Andrew Georgiou 72 71, Kristoffer Broberg (SWE) 70 73, Thomas Aiken 71 72, Desvonde Botes 70 73, Kevin Phelan (IRL) 72 71
Missed the cut:-
144 - Daniel Gaunt (ENG) 74 70, Ben Evans (ENG) 72 72, Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 71 73, Ryan Cairns (ZIM) 74 70, Michael Hoey (NIR) 71 73, Lindani Ndwandwe 71 73, Lyle Rowe 70 74, Neil Schietekat 71 73, Damien McGrane (IRL) 71 73
145 - Jared Harvey 75 70, Cyril Bouniol (FRA) 73 72, Adrian Otaegui (ESP) 71 74, Andy Sullivan (ENG) 73 72, Gary Stal (FRA) 72 73, Madalitso Muthiya (ZAM) 72 73, Haydn Porteous 72 73, Thriston Lawrence 71 74, Niclas Fasth (SWE) 70 75, Merrick Bremner 71 74, Wallie Coetsee 70 75, Soren Kjeldsen (DEN) 72 73, James Kingston 74 71, PH McIntyre 68 77, Andrea Pavan (ITA) 76 69
146 - Tom Murray (ENG) 72 74, Peter Uihlein (USA) 72 74, Ruan de Smidt 71 75, Chris Lloyd (ENG) 73 73, Bernd Ritthammer (GER) 71 75, George Coetzee 70 76, Peter Lawrie (IRL) 68 78, Keith Horne 74 72, Derick Petersen 71 75
147 - Edouard Espana (FRA) 71 76, Colin Nel 77 70, Titch Moore 72 75, Mark Williams (ZIM) 77 70, JJ Senekal 69 78, Borja Virto (ESP) 70 77, Peter Karmis 75 72
148 - Jordi Garcia Pinto (ESP) 74 74, Paul Maddy (ENG) 74 74, Michiel Bothma 78 70, Toto Thimba (Jnr) 75 73, Antonio Hortal (ESP) 75 73, Joakim Lagergren (SWE) 77 71, Oliver Farr (WAL) 71 77, Garth Mulroy 73 75, Charl Coetzee 72 76, Jorge Campillo (ESP) 76 72, Warren Abery 75 73, Neo Thubisi 73 75
149 - Justin Walters 74 75, Attie Schwartzel 73 76, Stuart Manley (WAL) 69 80, Heinrich Bruiners 77 72, John Parry (ENG) 71 78, Daniel Woltman (USA) 72 77
150 - John Bele 74 76, Torben Baumann (GER) 73 77, Mikael Lundberg(SWE) 71 79
151 - Zander Lombard 75 76, Keenan Davidse 74 77, Brandon Pieters 72 79
152 - Teboho Sefatsa 73 79, Vaughn Groenewald 75 77, Doug McGuigan 78 74
153 - Jarmo Sandelin (SWE) 73 80, Pelle Edberg (SWE) 74 79, Richard Finch (ENG) 77 76
154 - Wynand Dingle 75 79, Callum Mowat 77 77, JC Ritchie 73 81, Oliver Wilson (ENG) 77 77, Allan Versfeld 78 76, Tyrone Mordt 76 78
155 - Pontus Widegren (SWE) 75 80
156 - Johan Edfors (SWE) 75 81
157 - Jerome Lando Casanova (FRA) 74 83

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