English duo Gary Boyd and David Lynn share the halfway lead with Frenchman Julien Guerrier at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
The Englishmen took advantage of sedate conditions in Perthshire, Scotland, to shoot four-under-par 68s while Guerrier went one better with a 67 to join them on nine under.
The trio sit two strokes clear of Scot Stephen Gallacher, Englishman Mark Foster and South African George Coetzee on seven under.
A group of nine players are a shot further back at six under, including Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez, Irishman Paul McGinley, Italian Edoardo Molinari and Swede Peter Hanson, fresh off his win in the Czech Open on Sunday.
The two players who need a win to try and secure a Ryder Cup place had solid rounds, with Englishman Simon Dyson two under for the day to be six-under overall, while Spaniard Alvaro Quiros finished one under for the day and the tournament.
A win would put them in the running for the last remaining automatic selection spot on the Ryder Cup points table, although a win from Dyson would not be enough to displace Jimenez should the Spaniard finish in the top nine at Gleneagles.
But it is European tour rookies Boyd and Guerrier who were the talking point of the second round, with the Frenchman's round of 67 a mixed bag of seven birdies and two bogeys.
"I'm very okay with that," said Guerrier. "I had a good start. I think the patience, it's the key of the golf."
Boyd was more consistent and his eagle on 16 for the second successive day was the icing on the cake.
"It was scrappy a little bit but I managed to try to keep myself in it kind of around the turn, hit a few loose tee shots, but managed to keep the ball back in play and keep the round going," he said.