GEORGE, January 20, 2012 (AFP) - Branden Grace, the last man to qualify, calmy moved to the front of the pack in the second round of the Volvo Golf Champions tournament at The Links at Fancourt on Friday.
Grace, 23, fired a seven-under-par 66 for a two-round total of 12-under 134 to lead by four strokes from fellow South African Thomas Aiken, who shot 70, and England's Lee Slattery, who made a best-of-the-day 65.
European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal of Spain was alone in fourth on seven-under 139 after shooting an impressive 68.
Olazabal, 45, laughed off suggestions that he might qualify to play in the Ryder Cup.
"There is no way," he said. "Even if I make the Ryder Cup, I will not play."
Local resident Grace earned his place in the elite champions-only field by winning last week's Joburg Open, which he said was a career-changing event after he had to go through the European Tour's qualifying school last year.
Grace will be paired with good friend Slattery in the final group on Saturday.
"If I hadn't qualified, I would have been here supporting some of my friends like Slatts," said Grace.
"I've felt calm all week," he added. "That calmness has allowed me to play well. On this course you have to drive it well. I missed a few fairways today but my iron play has been superb and my short game has kicked in."
Paired with first-round leader Nicolas Colsaerts, who slumped to a 76 to fall six shots off the pace, Grace had four birdies and one bogey on the front nine and recorded four more birdies on the back nine, including three in a row from the 14th hole.
Asked whether playing in the qualifying school put him under more pressure than being in an elite field, Grace said: "Q School is a hectic week. Playing six rounds takes a lot out of you. After three rounds I wanted it to be over. But there are different pressures."
Colsaerts limped to the turn in four-over-par 40. He improved slightly with a one-under 36 on the back nine.
Slattery said he played "great golf".
Asked to compare it with other career rounds, he said: "I think it's probably the best, with it being such a big event and so many great players."
Slattery and Retief Goosen both won a car for partnering Mark Vandenberghe to victory in a pro-am betterball event.
Goosen shot a 68 to end the day six strokes off the pace and said he was surprised by how soft the course was.
"I had two tee shots today that came back on the fairway and yesterday I had another that had mud on it," he said.
"You're playing a links out there and it's playing like a parkland, so it's quite disappointing the way they are setting it up."
Goosen said that the softness of the course and a lack of wind were leading to low scores.
"No wind, the course is drenched," he said. "It's not the Links as we know it."
Olazabal also said conditions were benign.
"If you hit good shots, you get rewarded. We are using a bunch of forward tees. I can't imagine how tough this course would be if we were using the back tees."
Grace agreed. "They've been nice to us. They have brought quite a lot of the tees forward."
Scores after the second round of the Volvo Golf Champions tournament over the par-73, 6,652m The Links at Fancourt course on Friday:
134 - Branden Grace (RSA) 68-66
138 - Lee Slattery (ENG) 73-65, Thomas Aiken (RSA) 68-70
139 - Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP) 71-68
140 - Retief Goosen (RSA) 72-68, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 72-68, Alexander Noren (SWE) 72-68, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 71-69, Hennie Otto (RSA) 71-69, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 69-71, Nicolas Colsaerts (BEL) 64-76
141 - Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 71-70, David Horsey (ENG) 69-72, Joost Luiten (NED) 69-72
142 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 75-67, Darren Clarke (NIR) 74-68, Ernie Els (RSA) 71-71, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 69-73, Tom Lewis (ENG) 68-74
143 - Robert Rock (ENG) 73-70, Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 71-72
144 - Robert Karlsson (SWE) 74-70, Garth Mulroy (RSA) 71-73
145 - Simon Dyson (ENG) 75-70, Matthew Zions (AUS) 70-75, Colin Montgomerie (SCO) 70-75
146 - SSP Chowrasia (IND) 75-71, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP)
74-72
147 - Kenneth Ferrie (ENG) 71-76
148 - Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 74-74
149 - Oliver Fisher (ENG) 77-72, Pablo Martin (ESP) 76-73, Matteo Manassero (ITA) 76-73
150 - Michael Hoey (NIR) 78-72
154 - Thomas Levet (FRA) 81-73