At the halfway point of the BMW PGA Championship, Branden Grace is just two shots off the lead after a second round 71.

Grace shrugged off the controversy of his rules decision yesterday as he opened with a trio of pars before a birdie on number four. A bogey followed but he rebounded the next hole as he made birdie on the sixth hole.

The Fancourt pro made bogey on 9 to go out in level par 35.

The seven-time European Tour winner and world number 26 made birdies on 12 and 18 and a bogey on 16 to finish round two just two shots off the pace set by Scott Jamieson and Thomas Pieters.

Jaco Van Zyl, who competed for Team South Africa at last year’s Olympics, is on -4 after 36 holes after a second round 69.

Van Zyl’s round started off with a bogey on 1 but he eagled the par 5 fourth before closing the nine with a bogey and a birdie. Three birdies and a bogey helped him move inside the top 10 at the European Tour’s flagship event in Surrey.

Darren Fichardt (+3), Trevor Immelman (+4), George Coetzee (+5), Dylan Frittelli (+5), Justin Walters (+6) and Zander Lombard (+8) have all completed their second rounds and are set to miss the cut.