Andy Sullivan leads by three in Portugal

The 29-year-old, who is aiming to become the first player to win three European Tour events this season after victories in South Africa, set the clubhouse lead at 14 under.

Leader Sullivan was flawless throughout the day.

“It’s always nice to back up a good score with a new one”, Sullivan said in his post-round interview.

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger, now seventh in The Race to Dubai, shares third place on ten under par alongside Eduardo De La Riva after the duo carded respective rounds of 64 and 67.

Belgian golfer Thomas Pieters tees off for the18th hole during the second round of the Portugal Mast … “Sometimes it’s quite tough to go out there and back it up after shooting a low one yesterday but I played much in the same vein as I did yesterday”. “I feel comfortable and when my putting is going well, the confidence in the rest of my game is there”. Starting with a birdie at the 10th, he made further gains on the 13th, 15th and 17th, before picking up three more shots at the second, fifth and seventh.

English pair Tommy Fleetwood and Anthony Wall also carded excellent 64s to vault to nine under, while Ryder Cup star Thomas Bjorn (67) and his in-form fellow Dane Soren Kjeldsen (66) are one shot further adrift.

Colsaerts fired a seven-under-par 64 at Oceanico Victoria Golf Club, the course where he narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole of his opening round 12 months ago to record the first ever 59 on the European Tour.

“There are a couple of holes where I can take shortcuts and it does not really matter if I hit it on the fairway or in the rough, even though the rough is higher this year”.

Defending champion Alexander Levy has work to do if he is to retain the title he won previous year after a one-over 73 that left him eight shots back.

Third-round play will use a shotgun start beginning at 8 a.m. local time Saturday because of a bad weather forecast.