Having driven into trees down the left, Ferguson was forced to hack out with his second and still had 238 yards of the par five to go standing over his third. He missed the green to the right but spectacularly holed his pitch for birdie.
“It worked out well for me today,” he added. “You just need to hold on Saturday – you can’t win on Saturday but you can definitely lose.
“Just keep yourself in there, Marco’s full of confidence – I’m good friends with him as well so it will be a good duel.”
Penge, who recently won the Hainan Classic, mixed five birdies and two bogeys in his 68.
“It was pretty similar to yesterday,” he said. “I got off to a great start.
“Winning in China gave me a lot of confidence – just knowing I can win at this level. Last year, I kind of felt like an apprentice, being a rookie and learning the ropes. But this year, I feel much more at home.
“I even said to my caddie today, walking down the fifth, how great it is to be playing alongside guys like Haotong Li and Thomas Pieters – players I’ve looked up to, Ryder Cup players and multiple-time winners. It’s just amazing to be out here with the best players in Europe. I still have so much to learn, and these are the types of players I can learn a lot from.
“I believe in myself and in the things I keep to myself. I didn’t feel out of place last week at the (US) PGA, and I don’t feel out of place here either. We’ve just got to keep putting good scores together and keep moving forward.”