Seamus Power's record-breaking birdie blitz at Pebble Beach has put him into a commanding lead at the halfway point in the AT&T Pro-Am.
The Waterford golfer followed up an impressive first round 64 at the toughest course of the three-course tournament rotation, Spyglass Hill, with 10 birdies in a second round 64 at Pebble for a five-shot lead over Andrew Putnam and Tom Hoge.
Power's 129 shot total for 36 holes broke the PGA Tour record held by Phil Mickelson (2005) and Nick Taylor (2020).
"I didn't know that, that's kind of a cool thing," he smiled.
"But it's been one of those couple of days on the course when things have gone my way.
"Right from the start yesterday I got a couple of good bounces that got me into the round.
"My wedges and putting have been sharp, so I've been able to take advantage of opportunities on short par 4s and par 5s.
"Overall I've been pretty happy, a lot of good stuff."
The 35-year-old is looking for his second PGA Tour victory after his win in the Barbarsol Championship last July.
The Irishman has elevated his game over the past 18 months to fire himself up the rankings from outside the world's top 400.
And, on the back of a series of top 10 finishes - six since the Barbarsol triumph - and a recent joint third in the Sony Open in Hawaii, has propelled himself into the top 50 in the rankings.
"I was really feeling good in my game before that," said Power.
"A few things came together, I've been able to get a bit of momentum and feeling more and more comfortable in these positions with my game, so it's all been leading to good scores."
He will play the par 71 Monterey course tomorrow before finishing at Pebble Beach on Sunday.
Victory would secure him his place at the US Masters in April.
"You really don't know where you stand until tomorrow," Power cautioned.
"I've probably played Monterey worse than the other two, but I'll be ready to go tomorrow and hopefully can put up a good score tomorrow."
Power looked in control of his game in what were benign conditions for the second successive day in California, save for two bogeys
Playing alongside Cork's John Murphy, who was making his PGA Tour debut, the West Waterford golfer instantly hit back from his first dropped shot, on the fifth hole, by sinking birdies in six of his next seven holes.
He stood on the 17th tee with a six shot lead but Power had to drain a five foot putt to avoid a double bogey.
But Power hit back again with a superb approach with his third shot into the par-5 18th to set up his ninth birdie of the day to put himself in a comfortable position.
"The tee shot on 17 was horrible, it was my own fault," Power recalled.
"I didn't kind of commit to the shot and probably should have ripped an 8 iron in to 15 feet short, but got a little greedy.
"On 18, the wind off the left I don't quite like, the right side gets short and my wedges have been sharp so I knew if I got it in the fairway I'd give myself a chance, and I was able to take advantage."
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts
