Justin Leonard fired an eight-under par 64 Friday to grab the halfway lead in the PGA Tour event at Disney World, where a host of players are scrambling to secure their cards for next season.
Leonard enjoyed his day, admitting it was a pleasure to contest the final event of the season with no concern over 2010.
"Any time I can come out and do that and play a nice, relaxed round where there's not a lot of pressure, I'm giving myself a lot of chances," he said. "It just makes the game easier."
Leonard had 11 birdies and three bogeys despite breezy conditions.
First-round leader Justin Rose of England and George McNeill were two strokes back, Rose after a 69 and McNeill a 66.
Leonard's lead could have been greater but for two three-putts.
"On the flip side of that, I came back and birdied the next hole each time," Leonard said. "I was able to hit the ball pin-high a lot, which is really important when you're playing in windy conditions.
Rose nabbed four birdies with one bogey for his 69 on the Magnolia Course, a day after he posted a 65 on the Palm.
"I knew that today was going to be a test," said Rose. "Just playing the Magnolia - I think everyone knows it's a slightly tougher course out of the two, and I think the Magnolia is open and more exposed to the wind actually than the Palm Course."
Further down the leaderboard, others were seeing their hopes of locking up a tour card for next season dwindle.
Only those who finish in the top 125 on the money list are guaranteed full status. The next 25 will get conditional status and be able to enter more than a dozen tournaments.
Former world number one David Duval missed the cut and was among those who will likely lose their cards. Duval finished five-over par and near the bottom in the tournament.
Duval's runner-up finish at the U.S. Open this year and his 2001 British Open championship will get him into the first three majors next year. But losing his full status would be a blow.
"It's not a position you want to be in," Duval said. "It's not fun, but really, I haven't been focusing on it a whole lot."
Erik Compton, the two-time heart transplant recipient who made his return to the tour at this same event last year, also missed the cut.
Rickie Fowler, 20, followed a first-round 66 with a 75, dropping into a tie for 43rd.
Fowler is trying to join Tiger Woods as one of the few US college players to bypass qualifying school and earn a tour card in the same year by earning enough money through sponsors exemptions.
Fowler probably will need to finish in the top 10 to do so.
Copyright 2009  AFP American Edition
