Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy remain in contention at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event.
Sharing the lead after a remarkable 11-under opening round, the duo continued atop the leaderboard with a second-round 70, which put them into a share of the lead with the teams of England's Aaron Rai and American David Lipsky, as well as Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak and Ryan Brehm and Mark Hubbard, with a further six teams just one shot behind the leaders after the second round.
Two birdies and a bogey saw Lowry and McIlroy turn at one-under, before matching it on the back nine to finish two-under for the day to move to 13-under.
McIlroy said about partner Lowry after the day's play: "I was just trying to keep him as positive as possible and remind him that I'm here and I'm here to back him up in any way that I can."
Lowry said he improved during the day after missing close shots on the 18th and second hole.
"I started to get a little bit into myself, but to roll that one in (at the fourth hole) was nice, and to play the last few holes the way we did was really nice too," Lowry said.
Brehm and Hubbard moved into solo lead near the close of play on Friday but finished with a bogey meaning that Lowry and McIlroy sat in a quartet in a tie for the lead ahead of Saturday's third round.
The teams will play the best ball on Saturday and finish with alternate shot once again on Sunday.
Additional reporting: PA
