Erik van Rooyen birdied four of the last six holes on each of his nines on Friday as he eased into a share of second after the second round of the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship on the Old Greenwood course at the Tahoe Mountain Club.

Played opposite the Open Championship, the tournament is co-sanctioned by DP World Tour. The winner gets into the PGA Championship but not the Masters.

In a tournament he won in 2021, Van Rooyen carded a six-under-par 65. With the modified stableford scoring, where players receive five points for eagle and two for birdie, and a point is deducted for bogey and three for double bogey, Van Rooyen moved to 25 points.

That was one behind the lead which was held by Puerto Rico’s Rico Hoey, and the South African shared second with American Max McGreevy. “Finally making some putts,” Van Rooyen said. “It’s been a trying season in that regard. My dad told me like two weeks ago, change is as good as a holiday, and I finally made a change. Got a new putter in the bag and it’s finally going in.”

Van Rooyen played the first two rounds with Jacques Kruyswijk, who, together with Robin Williams, was the third-best South African in the field. They were on 15 points. “I’ve known Jacques for a long time,” said Van Rooyen. “He finally got his first DP World Tour win earlier this year in Kenya, so I’m really happy for him. He played great as well. Couple putts here and there and he would be right up there, too. It was a lot of fun.”

Kruyswijk had a three-under 68 for seven points in the second round, while Williams went bogey-free for his six-under 65 and 12 points.

Dylan Frittelli was the other South African to make the cut. He was in a share of 17th on 19 points after a second-round three-under 68.