Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, who was on the verge of withdrawing from the Madrid Masters yesterday with injury, scored a flawless seven-under-par 64 for a share of the early second-round lead with Marcus Fraser, of Australia. The pair drew three shots ahead of the field, with Fraser setting the nine-under 133 target with a round of 66 that included eight birdies.

Paolo Terrini, of Italy, made only his second cut of the season after a 65 yesterday and holds third place.

Schwartzel's eagle and five birdies were an unexpected return after he decided to continue with a painful shoulder. “The shoulder blade pinches up and it can be very sore and I've been sick so I'm also taking antibiotics, so I rang my dad and told him I was going to withdraw,” the 24-year-old said.

“He told me 'see how you go today first' so I decided to carry on and after I'd made a few birdies, I felt a lot better.”