JC Ritchie added a second-round 69 to his opening 66 on Wednesday as he reached the halfway stage of the Challenge Tour’s Challenge de España at the Iberostar Real Club de Golf Novo Sancti Petri in Cadiz, Spain.

Although he slipped four spots on the leaderboard, his nine-under-par tournament total was still within striking distance of the lead held jointly by Australia’s Blake Windred and first-round leader Lucas Vacarisas at 11-under. That duo led by one from a group of five on 10-under, inclusing last week’s Challenge Tour champion Kristof Ulenaers of Belgium.

Ritchie started his round on the 10^th pretty uneventfully, picking up birdies on the 13^th and 16^th, but he dropped a shot on the 17^th to turn in one-under. He picked up another birdie on the second, but he then dropped two when he made double-bogey on the par-four third. He regained both of those shots in quick order, with birdies on four and five. He picked up another on the eighth, before closing with a par for his 69.

Jaden Schaper carded a four-under 68 in his second round, and he moved to seven-under for the tournament in a share of 21^st and still very much in the mix. Jacques Blaauw signed for a two-under 70 and was six-under in a share of 27^th, while Oliver Bekker’s 69 took him to five-under, six off the lead. Bryce Easton also made the cut with his four-under 68 taking him to four-under, which is where the cut line fell.

Jacques Kruyswijk missed the cut when his two-under second round left him at two-under for the tournament, two shots adrift of making it into the final two rounds.