KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
Billy Hurley III made six birdies on his front nine en route to a 5-under 67 Friday that gave him a two-shot lead after the second round of the CIMB Classic.
Hurley matched his score from Thursday for a 10-under total of 134, two strokes ahead of American compatriot Kevin Streelman (68) in the jointly sanctioned PGA Tour and Asian Tour event.
A group of seven players was one stroke further back at 7 under, including defending champion Ryan Moore (69).
Hurley, a former U.S. Navy lieutenant who did active duty in the Persian Gulf from 2007- 09, is chasing his first tour victory.
“If I can keep hitting it in the fairway and keep putting it like I have and hitting a lot of good putts, then I’ll be right there on Sunday,” Hurley said.
Hurley, who played bogeyfree in the opening round, had a superb start with three birdies on his opening four holes, including two that played the toughest in the opening round: the par-3 11th over water and the long par-4 13th.
He then had three straight birdies from the 16th to make the turn in 30, but his bogeyfree run came to an end on the second when he hit a wayward tee shot into the bushes and wound up with a doublebogey 6. He did not let the errant drive distract him, finishing his round with six pars and a birdie on No. 7. He said the ability to withstand bad moments like that and handle the pressure of being in contention is the main thing he learned from three top-10 finishes last year.
“After the bad swing it could have unraveled there on 2 and 3 but I drew on some of the experience I had from last year and was able to hold it together coming in,” Hurley said. “The cameras, more people watching the last group, couple of groups. It’s the atmosphere of it, and you learn a little bit from that.”
Streelman, who was runner up in his previous event in Las Vegas this month, credited his improved form to a return to a putter he had put away for years.
“With putters, sometimes you pick it up and it just feels good,” Streelman said. “This is the best my short game has been.”
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