On the back of his victory at the US Senior Open, Irishman Padraig Harrington (65) moved out to a one-stroke lead through two rounds, his closest challengers coming from defending champion KJ Choi (67) and Thomas Bjorn (63).

Percy is one of four players in a share of fourth at 6-under par, fellow Australians Steve Allan (67), Mark Hensby (72) and Greg Chalmers (66) and Kiwi Steven Alker (73) also well placed heading into the weekend.

Tied for ninth at the US Senior Open, Percy conceded that school holidays and family time in London had limited his preparation but found a spark just prior to teeing off in Round 2.

“I actually haven’t touched a club for three weeks,” said Percy after a 5-under 65.

“I’ve been hanging out with the kids. They’re on school holidays. Haven’t done much at all. I’ve been over here in London sightseeing with the kids.

“I’ve been really quite rusty and really showed the way I finished yesterday.

“I found something on the range this morning with about five minutes to go and I’ve rolled with it and drove really, really nicely today.”

Percy took no time in transferring good feels on the range to the golf course in Round 2.

He hit his approach shot into the par-5 first to three feet to set up eagle, steadying after making bogeys at two and four to go bogey-free over his final 14 holes.

Perhaps indicative of the strong Aussie presence at the top of the leaderboard, Percy sees similarities between Sunningdale and the courses back home in Australia.

“It’s definitely not easy, but it’s just brilliant,” was Percy’s Sunningdale summary.

“It’s an actual golf course. It’s not a housing development.

“It reminds me so much of Australia. We water the fairways and greens, rough is whatever it is, either bare or dry, and then you got the rough rough if you really hit it off-line.

“It looks wide, but it’s not. You get off the beaten track you could be in all sorts of trouble. Fantastic.”

One back at the start of the day after a 6-under 64 on day one, Hensby was 8-under for the championship through 12 holes but dropped four shots in his final six holes to fall four shots from the lead.

Four straight birdies around the turn provided the backbone of Allan’s 3-under 67 while, playing in the same group, Chalmers had the one bogey and five birdies in his 66 to join the eight-way tie for 10th.

Last year’s runner-up, Richard Green (69), enters the weekend at 3-under alongside Queenslander Michael Wright, who kept bogeys off the card in his second round of 5-under 65.

Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images

Round 2 Australasian scores
T4        Cameron Percy             -6
T8        Steve Allan                   -5
T10      Mark Hensby               -4
T10      Greg Chalmers             -4
T10      Steven Alker (NZ)         -4
T18      Richard Green              -3
T18      Michael Wright            -3
T25      Stuart Appleby             -2
T36      Scott Hend                   -1
T36      Mark Brown (NZ)          -1
MC       Rod Pampling              +2
MC       Michael Long (NZ)        +3
MC       Michael Campbell (NZ) +6
MC       David Bransdon           +11

Round 3 tee times AEST
7:45pm            Scott Hend
8:30pm            Mark Brown (NZ)
9:35pm            Stuart Appleby
9:55pm            Michael Wright
10:05pm          Richard Green
10:25pm          Greg Chalmers
10:45pm          Steven Alker (NZ)
11pm               Mark Hensby
11:20pm          Steve Allan
11:40pm          Cameron Percy