South Africa's Branden Grace strengthened his lead going into the weekend at the European Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on Friday with a second-round 66 to move to 16 under.

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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. 

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.