Jose-Maria Olazabal enjoyed the milder weather at Fancourt on Friday as he fired a five-under-par 68 to move into contention after the second round of the Volvo Golf Champions at the Links.

Olazabal moved to seven-under overall, five shots off the scorching pace set by Branden Grace, who was on 12-under with two holes to play.

“Today was a little better, the last two days have been very hot and humid and I struggled a bit. There was a bit more wind today, but overall the conditions were pretty benign,” a happy Olazabal said after his round.

The Spaniard made the elite 35-man field thanks to his 22 career wins on the European Tour, but a bad recent run has seen him slip to number 596 on the world rankings, so Friday’s round provided a welcome return to form.

“The bar wasn’t very high to begin with, so improving on my recent form wasn’t difficult! The last couple of years, I’ve been playing very poorly and I need to improve my driving. I hit lovely shots on the range, but it’s harder to take those on to the course. But there are at least some signs on the range that it’s coming right, so that makes it easier,” Olazabal said.

Of course, Olazabal doesn’t just have his own testing times to worry about on the golf course these days – as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, he also has to study the form of his potential players. The two-time Masters champion said it was important for him to focus on keeping his own play up to scratch as the team captain.

“I made it very clear in September that there is no way I will play in the team, but I would still love to be competitive because then I get to play with my boys and see how they’re doing in this important year,” Olazabal said.

The 45-year-old is playing at Fancourt for the first time and is clearly impressed with the course and estate.

“The practice facilities are fantastic and the whole setting is really beautiful. The set-up of the course is also great and done in a way that you get reward for good shots. And if you miss a shot, you’ll be in trouble, which is fair.

“It’s a great test and we’ve been playing off the forward tees. I can’t imagine how tough it must be off the back tees! But it’s a great course and I would recommend it to anyone,” Olazabal said.