Jorge Campillo, Jeff Winther and Nick Cullen shared the early lead on day two of the inaugural Belgian Knockout as the players battled to make their way into the weekend at Rinkven International Golf Club.
The innovative event was making its European Tour debut, with the top 64 on Friday night after 36 holes of stroke play advancing to a nine-hole stroke play knockout, with the winner being crowned on Sunday after a total of 90 holes.
Spaniard Campillo and Dane Winther had both been part of a seven-way tie for top-spot overnight and they strengthened their hands further by each picking up a shot on Friday morning to move to five under.
They were joined there by Cullen, who was two under through seven holes, a shot clear of English pair Matthew Baldwin and Nathan Kimsey, local favourite Thomas Detry, Thai Jazz Janewattananond and Spain's Adrian Otaegui.
Campillo has been a picture of consistency this season and after starting with a bogey on the tenth, he picked up shots on the 11th and 16th to turn in 34.
Winther had a single birdie on the tenth in his first six holes, while Cullen had led after birdies on the first, fourth and fifth but he made a bogey on the seventh.
Detry turned in level par playing alongside Campillo, while Baldwin was also level for the day after 11 holes, giving back birdies on the third and fifth with dropped shots on the sixth and ninth.
Kimsey - the 2016 Qualifying School winner - was in danger of missing the weekend after an opening 71 but he made birdies on the first, third, sixth and eighth to turn in 32.
Otaegui and Janewattananond both had two birdies in their first eight holes.
French duo Thomas Linard and Victor Perez, England's Oliver Fisher and New Zealander Josh Geary were then at three under.
Tournament host Thomas Pieters turned in 32 to get to one under and greatly boost his chances of making the top 64, with players at one over facing a play-off to make the weekend.
