Syme three off the lead in South Africa

Connor Syme rose up the leaderboard on day two of the Tshwane Open at Pretoria in South Africa.

A second round 68 left the Drumoig golfer on four under par at the halfway stage, just three off the lead held by George Coetzee.

Fellow Scot, Scott Jamieson, is one off the pace at six under.

Grant Forrest also made the cut but Blairgowrie’s Bradley Neil didn’t make it through to the weekend on three over.

Coetzee fired a bogey-free 64 to take a one-shot lead into the weekend.

The South African, who won this event in 2015, came into the week as one of the favourites on his home course and he lived up to that billing, following up an opening 67 to get to 11 under.

Finn Mikko Korhonen and Chile’s Felipe Aguilar were his nearest challengers after the trio did battle in the morning session and separated themselves from the rest of the field.

Coetzee started on the 10th and turned in 30 with six birdies before a beautiful teeshot into the par-three eighth moved him into the lead.

“I’m happy to have posted two pretty good rounds,” he told europeantour.com. “I’ll try and just focus on playing decent golf and posting good numbers for the weekend.”

Aguilar had held a share of top spot before he bogeyed the last in a 67, while Korhonen eagled the ninth – his final hole – to match Coetzee’s 64.

South Africans Louis de Jager, JC Ritchie and Justin Walters were at seven under alongside Portuguese Ricardo Gouveia, one shot clear of Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and two ahead of English trio Matthew Baldwin, Laurie Canter and Sam Horsfield.

Picture: Getty. Connor Syme plays his second shot at the fourth hole yesterday.