LEOPARD CREEK, South Africa (Reuters) ¿ Spain's Pablo Martin eagled the final hole in gathering dusk to claim a four-stroke lead after the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship yesterday.

Martin's nine-under round of 63 took him to 13-under in the 2010 European Tour opener. That put him four strokes clear of morning starters Ernie Els of South Africa and Italian Edoardo Molinari.

Martin, 23, opened with two straight birdies and added more at the sixth, ninth and eleventh before registering a hat-trick of birdies from the 13th. His only bogey came at the eighth while at the par-five 18th he put a three-iron to nine feet and holed the eagle putt.

Home favourite Els followed up his first-round 68 with a 67, mixing eight birdies and three birdies.

Argentina's Ariel Canete, South African Charl Schwartzel and Sweden's Pelle Edberg are tied at eight-under-par along with first-round leader Ulrich van den Berg of South Africa.

Briton John Bickerton produced the second hole-in-one of the tournament at the par-three fifth hole. South African Thomas Aiken fired an earlier ace at the 12th hole on Thursday.

The Alfred Dunhill Championship is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and South Africa's Sunshine Tour.