KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Ernie Els was two shots behind Maybank Championship leader Thomas Pieters on a crowded leaderboard after the second round on Friday.
Els carded a 2-under-par 70 to reach 6 under at the European Tour event.
There were 15 golfers within three shots of Pieters, who was at 8 under overall after a 69 he wasn't pleased with. He bogeyed the par-4 second hole, and made four birdies.
''It didn't feel like a good day to me, I made the best of what I had,'' the Belgian said. ''I gave myself a lot of chances but I couldn't seem to get the ball in the hole.