Australia’s Mark Hensby and South Korean Whee Kim share the lead after the second round of the inaugural Barbasol Championship in Auburn.
The pair both finished their rounds strongly to card scores of 64 and 66 respectively to top the leaderboard on nine-under 133 in the first PGA Tour event to be staged in Alabama since the 1990 PGA Championship at Shoal Creek in Birmingham.
Hensby birdied three of his last four holes for a seven-under 64, while Kim completed his round with a flawless front nine which featured birdies at the second, third and seventh for a five-under 66 on the Grand National layout at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.
World No 485 Kim, who is seeking his first victory on the PGA Tour, has a self-taught swing that was borrowed from watching video footage of former world No 1 Tiger Woods.
"It was really good," said the 23-year-old, whose best PGA Tour finish was a tie for eighth at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April. "Four under in the first round and five under today. I'm ready for the weekend.
"I'm just focused on my swing, just doing the basics, just tried to keep it in the fairway, that's it. I didn't try to hit it further or make a shape, nothing. Just played easy."
"I played well, I gave myself a lot of chances," said Hensby, who won his only PGA Tour title at the 2004 John Deere Classic but has struggled in recent years with injuries, poor form and a loss of playing status at the top level.
"I hit a couple of wayward ones, but I haven't played in a tournament in quite some time. You get a little nervy in the middle, but then I kind of settled down and hit some good shots.
"I've played a couple of mini-tours here and there, but this is my first tournament in quite some time. So, you know, it's good to be back."
First-round leader Sam Saunders, the grandson of Arnold Palmer, slipped one stroke behind the leaders after carding a 70, level with fellow American Charlie Beljan (64) and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo (66).