The best round of day two has thrust Australian Rod Pampling into contention again in a senior major championship in the US.
Pampling and fellow Aussie Mark Hensby shared low round of the day honours in Round 2 of the Kaulig Companies Championship at Firestone Country Club in Ohio with rounds of 4-under 66, Pampling moving into a share of fifth at the halfway mark of the fourth senior major of the year.
Pampling was paired with eventual champion Bernhard Langer in the final group of the third round at the US Senior Open but tumbled down the leaderboard with a 79 in Round 3.
It was a move in the other direction on Friday at Firestone, however, Pampling rising 24 places and Hensby climbing 42 spots into a share of 13th with two rounds left to play as Harrison Frazar (68) takes a one-stroke lead into the weekend.
Victorian Ryan Ruffels is also inside the top 10 through two rounds of the Euram Bank Open in Austria on the Challenge Tour.
Still chasing his maiden professional victory, Ruffels had a double-bogey and bogey in his first four holes in Round 2 but three birdies in his final five holes saw him post 1-under 69 for a 7-under total and five strokes off the lead.
In a rare appearance on the PGA TOUR, West Australian Jason Scrivener is the best of the Aussies at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky, a second round of 6-under 66 moving him into a tie for 24th through 36 holes.
Min Woo Lee (68-69) dropped back to a tie for 45th as he and Lucas Herbert (71-67) were the only Aussies to make the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open.
There are Aussies in the mix too across the three women’s tournaments being played in the US and Europe.
Minjee Lee (67-68), Grace Kim (71-65) and Stephanie Kyriacou (70-66) are all inside the top 20 through two rounds of the DANA Open in Ohio, Kirsten Rudgeley (73) and Kiwi Momoka Kobori (73) are tied for 13th at the Aramco Team Series London and Robyn Choi is tied for 13th halfway through the opening round of the Epson Tour’s Hartford Healthcare Women’s Championship in Connecticut.
Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images