The South African duo are tied on seven under par after 36 holes in Mallorca, one shot clear of Denmark’s Marcus Helligkilde and Sweden’s Jesper Kennegard who share third place on six under par.
Ritchie carded five birdies before bogeying the last to post a four under par round of 67 and set the target at seven under par, while 36-year-old Bekker dropped his first shots of the week with a double bogey at the par four tenth hole, but bounced back immediately with a birdie at the 11th to post a two under par round of 69 and join his friend and compatriot at the top of the leaderboard.
Bekker arrived at T Golf & Country Club in eighth position on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and therefore has his European Tour card locked in for 2022, however Ritchie currently sits 29th and needs to continue his strong start into the weekend if he is to secure one of the 20 graduation spots on offer.
Overnight co-leader Espen Kofstad, Road to Mallorca Number Four Julien Brun, Germany’s Yannik Paul and Denmark’s Nicolai Kristensen share fifth place on five under par. Five players, including Road to Mallorca Number One Santiago Tarrio and four-time European Tour winner Matteo Manassero are a shot further back on four under par.
