Australia's Nick O'Hern is tied for fourth - four shots off the lead - after two rounds of the McGladrey golf classic in Georgia.
He has fired a second round of 67 - to be 8-under-par 132 at the halfway mark - behind Americans Billy Horschel (128) and Webb Simpson and Michael Thompson (both 130).
Fellow Australian Robert Allenby is six strokes adrift of O'Hern.
But little-known Horschel grabbed the limelight after charging into a two-shot lead at Sea Island.
The former Walker Cup amateur eagled the par-5 15th on the way to a sizzling 6-under 64, sinking a three-foot birdie putt at the last to post a 12-under total of 128.
In hot pursuit, though, after carding a 67 was Simpson, who has won twice in his last five starts and has a chance to beat British world number one Luke Donald to the PGA tour money title.
"I've played great this year," Simpson told reporters after ending a breezy day at the Seaside Course on 10-under.
"Hopefully I can make a little dent in the (money list) gap this week."
Simpson trails Donald by $68,971 and both of them are scheduled to compete in next week's season-ending Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
"It was a really tough day starting out," Simpson said of a round which included four birdies and a lone bogey.
"The wind was blowing pretty hard and we had really difficult holes to start.
"But I hung in there ... and made a couple of nice birdies coming in."
South African Louis Oosthuizen, who romped to a seven-stroke victory in last year's British Open, fired a 67 to end the second round at 8-under, alongside O'Hern.
The cut fell at 1-under 139 with last year's US Open champion Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland and former major winners Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink, Justin Leonard and David Toms among those failing to advance.
Australia's Matt Jones, Rod Pampling, Michael Sim, Marc Leishman, Nathan Green, Steven Bowditch and Jarrod Lyle also missed the cut.
AAP/Reuters
Tags: golf, sport, united-states First posted October 15, 2011 10:41:28
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