Former British Open champion Ben Curtis, trying to find his way back to top form, completed a bogey-free 67 before a two-hour storm delay on Friday to take the second-round lead at the PGA Texas Open.
Curtis posted his second-straight five-under round without a bogey for a 10-under total of 134.
He was two shots in front of David Mathis, whose 67 put him at 136.
Greg Chalmers carded 72 to be the best placed Australian – eight shots behind Mathis.
Cameron Tringale was in the clubhouse on seven-under 137 after a second-round 65, while Matt Every was seven-under through 16 holes when play was halted by darkness.
Every had a golden chance to move up the leaderboard when the round resumed on Saturday morning, facing an 11-foot birdie putt at 17.
Blake Adams (69), Ryan Palmer (69) and Hunter Haas (74) were tied for fifth on 140.
“We’ll see how it goes over the weekend,” said Curtis, who no longer has full playing privileges and has played a limited schedule.
“When you’re not playing the schedule that you want, you don’t have it all laid out in front of you before the year starts, you’re kind of playing when you can. It’s hard.”
The Texas Open is Curtis’s fourth US tour stop of the season because of his conditional status, which follows a dismal 2011 when he failed to finish in the top 10 even once for the first time since he joined the tour in 2003.
That’s the year Curtis came out of nowhere to win the British Open. He won two PGA titles in 2006 but hasn’t won since.
“Everybody knows me, know that I don’t stress about much,” Curtis said.
“If you see me stressing it’s probably over nothing, too. I usually sweat the small stuff, and the big stuff, I don’t really worry about.”
Tringale climbed up the leaderboard with his 65, posted in the morning before the incoming storm made conditions more difficult.
Tringale birdied five of his first six holes in his bogey-free round.
“There was no wind this morning and it was a little softer,” Tringale said.
“So you could be a little more aggressive to the pins.”
Afternoon conditions were much more difficult with gusting winds and a two-hour weather delay that meant 25 players were unable to complete their rounds.