Both Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are well-positioned to make a run for the Genesis Invitational in California this weekend.
The pair of Irishmen shot 69 in their second round on Friday to have them both within six shots of leader Max Homa.
McIlroy opened his tournament with a four-under-par 67 on Thursday as he teed it up in a marquee grouping that included Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas.
READ MORE: Tiger Woods apologises for 'crass' tampon joke
The Holywood man started his second round on the back nine and opened with a bogey on the 10th hole. He bounced back with consecutive Birdies at 11 and 12 to move to one-under for the day.
13 Pars in a row followed, before the former World Number One - who lost that title when Scottie Scheffler won the WM Open last week - finished his round with a Birdie on the Par 4 ninth hole to sit in a tie for seventh place on six-under-par.
For Lowry, it was another solid day at the office for the Clara man as he gets used to life without long-time caddie 'Bo' Martin on the bag. After four-years together, the pair called it quits after the Dubai Desert Classic last month.
Darren Reynolds is the new man by his side and he witnessed Lowry card a second consecutive round of 69 to sit in a tie for 12th place on four-under-par.
It was a day of near misses for the 2019 Open Champion as he Birdied two of his first three holes to make the turn in two-under-par.
But this was as good as it got for the reigning BMW PGA Champion. After a Birdie to begin his second nine, Lowry Parred the next five holes before Bogeying two of his last three holes - with a Birdie in between - to card a second successive 69.
Lowry is still in with a shout of winning only his second tournament on US soil and is just six strokes shy of Max Homa.
He'll need to get his famed short game back to its best however, with the Offaly native struggling around the greens these past two days.
Lowry has gained 4.09 strokes tee-green in his first two rounds, with only ten players performing better. But around the greens is where the problems are beginning.
The 35-year-old has gained 1.1 strokes putting this week (42nd in the field) and gained just O.306 around the greens (48th in the field).
Around the notoriously tricky greens of the Riviera Golf Club in California, this has proven costly so far.
Both McIlroy and Lowry will begin their third rounds on Saturday evening.
READ NEXT:
- Jarlath Burns elected new President of the GAA
- Christian Atsu dies aged 31 after Turkey earthquake
- Johnny Sexton hailed as class act following Late Late Show appearance
- Tiger Woods apologises for 'crass' tampon joke
- Ireland legend Jack McGrath retires through injury
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
