Lucas Herbert protected his overnight lead at the 2025 International Series Japan with a two-under-par 69, reaching 11-under at the tournament’s halfway stage. Despite a rocky middle stretch, the Australian remains one shot ahead of Japan’s Shunya Takeyasu and Korea’s Younghan Song.

Herbert opened his round with three birdies in his first five holes, briefly pushing him to 12-under. A double bogey on the 15th and back-to-back bogeys on the next two holes saw him slip, but he recovered with five birdies over his final ten holes to end at 69 for the day.

Takeyasu posted a composed 68 with only one bogey in tough afternoon winds, while Song went bogey-free with a four-under 67 to share second place at 10-under. Song, who made a hole-in-one in round one, played a steady second round, making two birdies on each side.

Japan’s Yuta Sugiura and South Africa’s Ian Snyman were among those capitalizing on calm morning conditions. Both shot matching 67s to reach eight-under, just three behind the leader.

Herbert, who shot a course-record-tying 62 on Thursday, was pleased with his birdie count despite not maximizing his early momentum. “It feels like a missed opportunity to not stretch the lead more, but I fought back well and made some great putts,” said the four-time global tour winner.

Song admitted the Caledonian Golf Club posed a wind-related challenge. “This course is tough—it’s really challenging to judge the wind. I’m just trying to stay committed and play confidently,” said the 2016 SMBC Singapore Open champion.

Takeyasu, the best-placed Japanese player, showed great consistency. “I didn’t make many putts, but I stuck to my game plan,” said the former ADT winner, who has worked on improving his putting stroke by adjusting his weight distribution and hiring a coach.

Taiwan’s Chan Shih-chang and New Zealand’s Nick Voke shot the lowest rounds of the day at 63 and 64 respectively, both going bogey-free in breezy afternoon conditions. Their efforts catapulted them to a tie for fifth at seven-under.

Also tied at seven-under were Jose Toledo (69), Travis Smyth (67), Cameron Tringale (69), and Caleb Surratt (67), keeping the chase tightly packed going into the weekend.