Former champion Zhang Huilin also added a three under par 69 to his opening round of 67 to stand at eight under par 136. Five birdies were offset by two bogeys, and the 34-year-old from Hunan will now go into the weekend play with a strong chance of becoming only the second player to win the prestigious Volvo China Open title twice.

"For me, the 17th hole was very important," Zhang said. "My drive was very good but then my second shot went into water. However, I played my fourth shot very well to get on the green and I holed an eight-foot par putt."

"On 18 I hit a good drive, then an eight iron from 156-yards, then a great birdie putt."

Zhang emerged victorious in this event by a whopping nine shots in 2020 at Hidden Grace Golf Club, the same year that amateur Ding Wenyi placed second. Ding is now just three off the lead after a four under par 68 on Friday.

Compatriot Chen Guxin also stands at eight under par for the tournament after his second round of 68 matched his opening score on Thursday. Chen, 20, has shown lots of promise since he turned pro and no one would be surprised to see him lift the trophy on Sunday night, should he be able to keep his concentration going for all four rounds.

"I usually play three rounds well and then I can't play well in the fourth round," Chen said. "I think it's mainly about my mindset. If I could make an adjustment to my mindset I would have better tournament scores."

Ding will also fancy his chances having placed second in this event already. He stands at six under par for 36 holes alongside Berry Henson of the USA and two other international players.