Seamus Power backed up his strong Thursday with a second round of four-under-par, 67, to remain in the hunt at the Biltmore Championship in Asheville.
The Waterford man started the day two behind, and got off to a dream start with a birdie on his opening hole, the par four tenth.
Further birdies followed on 13 and 14 as he made the turn in three-under, before losing momentum, albeit never dropping a shot.
A fourth and final birdie on his 17th, the eighth hole, saw him post a midway score of nine-under-par.
However, Neal Shipley’s stunning 62 saw him bolt into the lead at 15 under, six clear of Power.
Shipley capitalized on a birdie-birdie-eagle start to his round to record best score of his young career. The is one stroke ahead of Ben Kohles (63).
Ricky Castillo also shot 62 Friday and jumped into a tie for third with Max Greyserman (67) at 11 under.
Eric Cole (68) is alone in fifth at 10 under at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove.
The tournament is the opener of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall series, which solidifies playing status for next season for those who did not make the play-offs. The top 100 players at the end of the FedEx Cup Fall series keep their tour cards. Finishing in the 51-to-60 range grants access to the first two signature events of 2027.
Additional reporting: Reuters