Seamus Power soared up the leaderboard at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after a seven-under 64 left him trailing leader Kurt Kitayama by just two shots at the halfway stage in California.
Power picked up six birdies and an eagle, with a bogey on the 11th the only blemish as he recorded the lowest round of the day on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
"I didn't play particularly well, but I scored very well," the Waterford man said after the conclusion of his round.
"It's something I kind of pride myself on. I made some good putts, hung in there when I wasn't hitting a lot of great shots. So all in all, very pleased, but I would like to kind of see a little better ball-striking, so I'll go work on that now for a while."
Reflecting on conditions that were testing at times, Power added: "The first five, six holes was kind of rainy and the ball just wasn't going anywhere, not much wind.
"Then we got to the turn and then for an hour, hour and a half, it really blew pretty strongly for a while. The last few holes were very pleasant.
"It was one of those days, kind of like back home in Ireland, where you get a lot of seasons in one day."
Two late birdies saw Kitayama shoot a round of 70 to lead on nine under, with his US compatriots Keith Mitchell, Brandon Wu, Joseph Bramlett and overnight leader Hank Lebioda sharing second spot one shot back.
Kitayama is a California native but has spent much of his career overseas. He won twice on the DP World Tour and once on the Asian Tour. His best finish on the PGA Tour came last February, when he wound up third at the Honda Classic.
Although Canada's Ben Silverman is two over through two rounds, he and his amateur playing partner – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers – have opened a commanding five-stroke lead on the pro-am leaderboard at 21 under after combining for an 11-under 60.
All players will play one round each at Pebble Beach, Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Spyglass Hill before the 54-hole cut, with the final round at Pebble Beach on Sunday.
