Czech Masters 2016: Friday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Jeff Winther and Thomas Pieters took a joint-lead into the second half of the 2016 Czech Masters after shooting respective second-round scores of 66 and 67 on Friday to take their overall scores to 10-under-par.

The duo lead the rest of the pack by a substantial four shots after two rounds of play at the Albatross Golf Resort in Prague, where Europe's contenders dominate the top 10 following Friday's cut.

Among that numbers sits the English group of Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, David Howell and Steven Brown, each of whom sit on six-under par and are holding hope of mustering a charge on the title.

There were some early casualties in the Czech Republic on Friday after Wales' Jamie Donaldson and England's Andy Sullivan, both of whom are in the world-ranked top 100, failed to make the cut.

Here's how the leaderboard looks after Day 2 of the 2016 Czech Masters:

Position	Player	Day 2 Score	To Par
T1	Jeff Winther	66	-10
T1	Thomas Pieters	67	-10
T3	Tommy Fleetwood	68	-6
T3	Matthew Fitzpatrick	69	-6
T3	David Howell	68	-6
T3	Robert Karlsson	70	-6
T3	Steven Brown	69	-6
T3	Peter Hanson	71	-6
T9	Daniel Im	67	-5
T9	Richard McEvoy	67	-5
T9	Ryan Evans	73	-5

Recap

Defending champion Pieters stands a fine chance of clinching back-to-back titles in Prague after enjoying a bogey-free display on Friday, replicating Thursday's opening score of 67 to maintain his charge at the summit.

However, it was joint-leader Winther who had the more explosive start to proceedings on Day 2, sinking an eagle on his first hole to go six-under par, as shown by the European Tour Twitter account:

It was the beginning of a superb day's work from the Dane, where a bogey on the eighth was the only blemish to speak of. His round included five birdies to go along with his eagle opener.

While Winther's best holes came in short, sweet bursts, Pieters was a more consistent threat throughout and birdied five of his nine holes between the fourth and 13th, including a well-held putt on the 10th:

That was the only occasion the Belgian held an outright lead, and Winther hit back not long after to save three strokes between the 11th and the 14th.

Speaking to the media after his Friday display, Pieters commented that a reduction in aggression has been evident in his play this year, noting his pleasure at how Day 2 panned out in Prague:

"

It's always nice to go bogey-free and make some nice putts. I'm hitting irons very well, my ball-striking has been very good the last few days. It feels controlled and stress-free golf.

It's the same gameplan, I've actually been a little less aggressive this year but it's paid off because my wedges have been a lot better than last year. Hit some three woods and if you can fly some bunkers out here, why not do it? 

All I can do is do my best this week and we'll see where it brings me and then next week it's the same thing.

"

Fleetwood, Fitzpatrick and Howell finished as three of the six total players tied for third after the second day of the tournament, although they face a considerable fight back—they are currently four shots off the leaders.

Lee Westwood was another of the English contingent attempting to find his groove in the Czech Republic, but a second-round score of par wasn't quite what he was searching for:

Swedes Peter Hanson and Robert Karlsson also head into the third round tied for third spot, while Daniel Im of the United States is the only non-European currently in the top 16.

Winther and Pieters will enter the fray once again on Saturday as they attempt to find a victory between them, although the rest of the field may yet sneak back to claw their lead down in Prague.