Crans Montana, Switzerland – Stephen Gallacher fired a 6- under 65 on Friday to grab a share of the lead after two rounds of the European Masters.
The Dubai Desert Classic winner is joined by 12-time European Tour champion Thomas Bjorn at 10-under-par 132.
"First place is not bad," Gallacher said. "I'm happy with that. It gives me something to work on over the weekend."
Bjorn shot a 5-under 66 during his second round at Crans-sur-Sierre to meet Gallacher atop the leaderboard.
Danny Willett matched the low round of the day with a 7-under 64 to jump into a tie for third place at 9-under 133. He is joined by Victor Dubuisson (65), Richard Finch (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Miguel Angel Jimenez (68).
First-round leader Anirban Lahiri managed an even-par 71 and dropped into a share of eighth place with Brooks Koepka (66), Paul Casey (69), Mark Tullo (66) and Alejandro Canizares (65) at 8-under.
Willett went out with the morning wave and raced to the top of the leaderboard with a bogey-free round that included five birdies and an eagle.
Dubuisson met him at 9-under shortly after when he capped his bogey-free round with his sixth birdie of the day at the 18th, placing the duo a stroke ahead of overnight leader Lahiri.
Their lead was short-lived, however, as Lahiri met them at 9-under with a birdie at the third and pulled ahead with another gain at the third, but then bogeyed the fourth to fall back even with Willett and Dubuisson.
After Lahiri traded a birdie at the seventh with a bogey at the eighth to remain at 9-under, Gallacher birdied the 12th to make it a four-way tie for the lead.
Gallacher poured in his second straight birdie at the 13th to pull ahead of the pack at 10-under.
The Scot moved to 11-under with a birdie at the 15th, while Bjorn jumped into second place at minus-10 with two birdies in a three-hole span from the 12th.
Gallacher then bogeyed the 17th to fall to 10-under and into a tie for the lead with Bjorn and Lahiri, who birdied the 14th.
As Gallacher parred his final hole to end there, Bjorn rolled in a birdie at the 17th to claim the outright lead at 11-under. But Bjorn failed to hang on to the lead and bogeyed the last to finish alongside Gallacher at 10-under.
"I told myself not to make any stupid bogeys this week because everybody's going to do that. I made one down the last, which is the first one, but it is just one of those things," said Bjorn. "I am happy with how I am playing; I played steady without being spectacular."
Lahiri tripped to a double-bogey 5 at the 16th to fall three strokes off the pace and parred his final two holes to stay there heading into the weekend.
NOTES: Oliver Fisher also shot 64 on Friday, moving him just inside the cut line at 1-under 141 ... Sixty-eight players advanced to the weekend, including the top-ranked player in the field, world No. 31 Matteo Manassero ... With many of the best players on the European Tour competing in the United States on the PGA Tour at the FedExCup Playoffs, there are no players ranked in the top 30 of the world in the field ... Defending champion Richie Ramsay carded an even-par 71 during his second round and failed to make the cut. He finished two rounds at 2-over 144.
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