Indian duo of Jeev Milkha Singh and Shiv Kapur were both tied third at the midway stage of the Trophée Hassan II golf tournament after carding 68 and 71 in the second round of the European tour event in Agadir.
Kapur rode on his first round five-under 67 but managed only a even par 71 as the field was split over two courses, the Golf De L'Océan and Golf Du Palais Royal courses, in a pro-am format for the first two days.
Jeev, two-under on the first, added a second round three-under 68, to go to five-under for 36 holes even as just two shots separated the top 17 players in a packed leaderboard.
Kapur had a roller coaster of a round with five birdies and five bogeys, while Jeev had five birdies and two bogeys.
Defending champion Rhys Davies moved into a share of the halfway lead with Joost Luiten as high winds led to a day of mixed scoring in the Moroccan city of Agadir.
"The greens here are perfect. The surfaces are magnificent and if you have the putts on line they go in. If you were to ask me which was easier I'd say the Ocean course, but if it's windy that can be tricky because there are a lot more trees. This course is designed for the wind. It's magnificent and in such great condition so if you play well you can post a score," said Kapur.
Davies' victory 12 months ago kick-started an immensely impressive rookie campaign that saw the 25-year-old Welshman finish 18th on The Race to Dubai. He has yet to record a top-20 finish in 2011, but Davies insists he is not under pressure to perform after shooting a one-under 70 for a six under par 36-hole aggregate.
Overnight leader Peter Lawrie was amongst those blown away by the testing conditions -- his scintillating opening 64 followed by a five over 76.
Davies was consistent with two birdies and a solitary bogey, but Luiten produced a more varied scorecard as the Dutchman double bogeyed both par threes on the front nine, dropped a shot at the ninth, but carded seven birdies in a 69 on the Golf De L'Océan layout.
No fewer than nine players are one off the pace most notably Finland's Mikko Ilonen, who matched Lawrie's course-record 64 at Palais Royal.
He is joined on five-under by English duo David Horsey and Robert Rock, Argentina's Julio Zapata, Swede Peter Hedblom, Indian pair Kapur and Jeev, South African George Coetzee and Ryder Cup Vice Captain Darren Clarke, the Northern Irishman carding a second consecutive 69.
