MALELANE, 12 Dec 2014 (AFP) - 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.
Leading scores on Friday after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the par-72 Leopard Creek Country Club:
128 - Branden Grace (RSA) 62-66
133 - Francesco Molinari (ITA) 68-65
134 - Tjaart van der Walt (RSA) 67-67
135 - Shaun Norris (RSA) 68-67, Lucas Bjerregaard (DEN) 68-67, Danny Willett (ENG) 66-69
136 - Andrew Johnston (ENG) 69-67, Morten Madsen (DEN) 70-66, Chris Swanepoel (RSA) 68-68, Louis De Jager (RSA) 69-67
137 - Michael Hollick (RSA) 67-70, Shiv Kapur (IND) 71-66, Jake Roos (RSA) 65-72, Jbe Kruger (RSA) 68-69
138 - Christiaan Basson (RSA) 69-69, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 69-69, Alex Haindl (RSA) 71-67, Johan Carlsson (SWE) 70-68, Benjamin Hébert (FRA) 68-70, Ignacio Elvira (ESP) 67-71, Scott Jamieson (SCO) 68-70
139 - David Drysdale (SCO) 71-68, Adilson Da Silva (BRA) 69-70, Danie Van Tonder (RSA) 70-69, Andrew Curlewis (RSA) 72-67, Jaco Ahlers (RSA) 70-69, Kevin Stone (RSA) 68-71, Mark Murless (RSA) 71-68, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 69-70, Jacques Blaauw (RSA) 71-68
140 - Trevor Fisher (RSA) 73-67, Dylan Frittelli (RSA) 70-70, Jean Hugo (RSA) 69-71, John Hahn (USA) 70-70, Eduardo De La Riva (ESP) 70-70, An Byeong-Hun (KOR) 71-69, Craig Lee (SCO) 68-72
141 - Matt Ford (ENG) 66-75, Lee Slattery (ENG) 71-70, Renato Paratore (ITA) 73-68, Alessandro Tadini (ITA) 73-68, Carlos Del Moral (ESP) 68-73, Julien Quesne (FRA) 69-72, Magnus Carlsson (SWE) 68-73, Tyrone Ferreira (RSA) 72-69, Oliver Bekker (RSA) 74-67, James Kamte (RSA) 72-69, Justin Harding (RSA) 71-70, Hennie Otto (RSA) 74-67, Martin Du Toit (RSA) 74-67, Rhys West (RSA) 73-68