George Coetzee picked up a shot in his first ten holes to edge one ahead of the pack early on day two of the Portugal Masters.
The South African held a share of the overnight lead with Dutchman Joost Luiten - who was due out in the afternoon - and a birdie on the tenth edged him to eight under and into a one-shot lead.
Playing partner Eddie Pepperell had arrived in Portugal last year fighting to keep his card and just missed out before regaining his playing privileges at the Qualifying School.
He is comfortably inside the top 100 on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex this season and picked up two shots in the morning to sit just one off the lead.
Fellow Englishman Laurie Canter was also at seven under after making two birdies in his first ten holes, a shot clear of Lucas Bjerregaard and Callum Shinkwin.
Coetzee birdied the second but gave the shot back on the sixth before making that gain on the tenth, while Pepperell had a birdie-birdie start.
Canter started from the tenth and had gains on the 12th and 14th.
Dane Bjerregarrd had a single birdie in his first four holes while Shinkwin was level par after eight to sit alongside later starters Italian Nino Bertasio, Frenchman Grégory Havret, Australian Jason Scrivener and China's Ashun Wu.
Marcel Siem and Li Haotong both picked up four shots in the morning to join a 12-strong group at five under.
