ralian Nick O'Hern is three shots from leader Bubba Watson at the midway point of the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
The big-hitting Watson leads by two shots at TPC River Highlands after scoring a three-under 67 on Friday, but O'Hern backed up his solid opening round with a four-under 66 to be seven under overall in a tie for fourth.
The 41-year-old Western Australian has not finished in the top 10 on the PGA Tour since April 2011, when he tied for sixth at The Heritage.
The best of the remaining Australian contingent were Stuart Appleby and Marc Leishman, with the pair tied for 24th at four under overall while Cameron Percy and Rod Pampling also made the cut at one under.
Leader Watson started his second round with a bogey on the par-four 10th, but worked his way into the round beautifully with two birdies on each of the front and back nines.
The 34-year-old Florida native is eyeing his first win since claiming the Masters in April 2012, and a second Travelers Championship to add to his 2010 success – his maiden title on tour.
Tied for second are American Patrick Reed and Irishman Padraig Harrington, level at eight under overall after respective four-under 66s.
A stroke further back are Americans Tag Ridings, Tommy Gainey and Hunter Mahan alongside O'Hern on seven under, with Ridings equalling the day's best round with a five-under 65.
Matching Ridings' 65 on Friday was Keegan Bradley, who is among a quartet of players tied for eighth at six under.
Bradley – the 2011 PGA Championship winner – hit five birdies in the space of six holes in a bogey-free second round to leave himself in contention with 36 holes to play.
Tied with the American are compatriots Charley Hoffman and 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, and Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge.
Hoffman, the round one leader, was 12 shots was off from his blistering opening 18 holes, carding a three-over 73 to fall four shots off the pace.
Of the big names elsewhere in the field, England's Ian Poulter recovered from a poor opening round to card a four-under 66 to make the cut by a stroke to be one under overall.
His countryman Lee Westwood, though, was on the other side of the cut after carding a three-over 73 to see the world number 12 fall short of the weekend.
American Jason Dufner also missed the cut at one over overall, despite a one-under 69 on Friday.
Other big names to bow out after two rounds were American Rickie Fowler, South Korean YE Yang and Australian Aaron Baddeley.