Lucas Bjerregaard posted a second consecutive 66 on Friday to open up a three shot lead at the BMW Masters in Shanghai.

The Dane came agonisingly close to his first European Tour win the last time he was in China three weeks ago as he finished a shot behind Justin Rose at the UBS Hong Kong Open.

And he was once again in contention at Lake Malaren Golf Club with an inward nine of 31 helping him get to 12 under and establish a comfortable cushion over Thongchai Jaidee and Sergio Garcia.

The 24 year old is 55th in The Race to Dubai – with the top 60 after this week qualifying for next week’s DP World

Lucas Bjerregaard bursts three shots clear of his rivals on day two of the BMW Masters at Lake Malaren Golf Club.Picture: Thos Caffrey | Golffile

Tour Championship, Dubai – but Bjerregaard will now have more lofty ambitions than getting to the season finale.

He was in the final group on Sunday at the Alfred Dunhill Championship earlier in the season before a closing 89 but four top tens in his last seven events, including that second place in Hong Kong, have proven to him he can compete at the very top.

“It was nice in Hong Kong to prove to myself and to everyone else that I can still compete up there. So hopefully I can do that again this week and just come up one place better than last time”- Lucas Bjerregaard

Starting on the back nine, Bjerregaard birdied the tenth and 16th but dropped a shot on the next as he turned in 35. Birdies then followed on the second, fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth as the World Number 178 surged ahead.

“It was a great round and I finished off with some good birdies coming in,” he said. “A great birdie there on six, a tough par three today.

“Nothing much really happened on the first nine, I just played really solid.

“But I thought it was a good bit tougher than yesterday with the wind up. Some of the holes were playing really long.

“But I made some good putts, made some good par saves as well to keep the round going, so that was nice.”

Bjerregaard was playing with Peter Uihlein who had seven consecutive birdies from the 15th in his 66 to sit five shots back, and his playing partner admitted he was rooting for the American.

“He had seven birdies in a row and I was cheering him on,” said Bjerregaard. “He just missed out by an inch for his eighth in a row and I was really hoping that would go in.

“We had good fun. He’s a nice guy. We played three rounds together in Turkey, as well, so it was nice that we both played well.”

With Race to Dubai leader Rory McIlroy not playing this week, there was an opportunity for the chasing pack to seize the initiative but those looking to move ahead of the Northern Irishman will need a good showing over the weekend.

Closest challenger Danny Willett fired a 69 to get to three under with Louis Oosthuizen alongside him and Justin Rose at five under.

Third-placed Shane Lowry, meanwhile, recorded a triple bogey on the sixth on his way to a 75 which left him one over.

Garcia, who held a one shot lead overnight after opening with a 64, started with two pars but picked up a shot on the par five third and then holed an excellent 10-footer down the hill on the sixth for another birdie.

A glorious approach to the seventh handed him an eagle opportunity and, although he missed that, the birdie was a formality and he was 11 under.

Three shots were then lost in two holes on the back nine as the Spaniard found the water on the 13th but a birdie on the 15th got him to within three of the lead.

Jaidee had bogeyed two of his last four holes in the first round and when he dropped a stroke on the fifth, he was well adrift. But birdies followed on the seventh, ninth, tenth, 13th, 15th and 16th before a closing bogey dropped him into a share of second.

Ian Poulter had been level par for his round through 12 holes but a run of four birdies from the 13th got him to eight under and into a share of fourth place with countryman Paul Casey and Byeong-hun An.

• Thanks to www.europeantour.com