Brandt Snedeker maintained the turnaround in form he produced at Kapalua last week and delivered a short game master-class to move a stroke clear in the second round of the Sony Open in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday.
Long regarded as one of the best putters on the PGA Tour, Snedeker holed out from 15 feet on his first hole, chipped in from 35 feet on his 12th, and then drained a 20-footer at the next on the way to a five-under-par 65 at Waialae Country Club.
The 35-year-old American, who had been in a five-way tie for the lead overnight, took advantage of relatively benign conditions as he piled up five birdies in a bogey-free round for a 12-under total of 128.
Kevin Kisner was alone at 11-under after carding a 66.
Reigning British Open champion Zach Johnson was a stroke further back, also after a 66, along with former world number one Luke Donald (65), Zac Blair (65) and Chez Reavie (63).
Snedeker, in pursuit of his eighth victory on the PGA Tour, was delighted to be at the top of the leaderboard after tying for third at last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions following missed cuts in his two previous starts. “This is why we spend so much time away from our families as well as so much time on the golf course, to be in contention and have a chance to win at the weekend,” Snedeker told Golf Channel.
Having ballooned to an aggregate 19 over par in his last six rounds of 2015, Snedeker has covered his first six this year in a staggering 33-under after hard work with swing coach Butch Harmon in Las Vegas. “Now I feel more comfortable with how I’m supposed to swing,” said Snedeker. “Hopefully I can keep building on it.”
Reigning champion Jimmy Walker, bidding for an unprecedented third victory in a row at Waialae, was a distant nine shots off the pace after carding a 68.
Former world number one and 2005 champion Vijay Singh, among the five players tied for the lead overnight, was a late starter on Friday and fell four behind Snedeker after a one-under 69.
   
Wall joins three-way hunt for Joburg Open
Anthony Wall joined a three-way hunt for the Joburg Open along with South African duo Zander Lombard and Haydn Porteous after hitting a flawless third round 68 yesterday.
The 40-year-old had birdies on the fourth, ninth, 10th and 13th holes, and goes into the final round level on 15 under par along with Lombard and Porteous at Royal Johannesburg & Kensington Golf Club.
The Englishman is bidding for a second European Tour title - 16 years after his first at the Alfred Dunhill Championship.
“I’ve got a great chance tomorrow. But they’re all good players, someone’s going to be a little luckier tomorrow and win, so hopefully it’s me,” said Wall, who admitted his mentality has changed since 2000.
“At the end of the day I’m father now before I am a golfer, that switched a few years ago and I just want to keep playing for them and my wife so they can be proud of me.”
Wall secured his place at the 2015 Open Championship with a second-placed finish in Joburg last year and could do so again with the top three non-exempt players in the top ten claiming a place at Royal Troon.
And with Ernie Els and David Howell, the highest placed exempt players, eight off the lead, this is a golden opportunity to get to the third Major Championship of the year.
Lombard, who turns 21 on Monday, posted nine birdies and two bogeys en route to a 65 and Porteous, having started with an eagle at the par-five first, then ended with two straight birdies for 68.
Overnight leader Ross McGowan hit a one-over par 73 and is two shots off the lead in a group including Jacques Blaauw, Paul Dunne and Qualifying School graduate Daniel Im.

Europe promise no let up in EurAsia Cup
European captain Darren Clarke insisted there will be no complacency on the final day of the EurAsia Cup after his team took a commanding six-point lead in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Clarke’s 12-man team doubled their three-point lead from the first round by winning four of six fourball matches, with one lost and the other halved, for a 9-3 advantage in the sauna-like conditions at Glenmarie Golf and Country Club.
Clarke, who is also the current European Ryder Cup captain, could not have been more delighted with team lynchpins Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter who again won both their matches against Asian Tour rivals.
Europe now needs to secure just 3.5 of the 12 points up for grabs in today’s deciding singles matches to claim the trophy after the inaugural 2014 tournament ended in a 10-10 draw.
“I am a very excited captain but this morning Asia came at us strongly, and we expected that, but the quality of the European guys showed as they just knuckled down, fought hard so I feel very pleased with the overall result,” said Clarke.
“My advice now to the team is that there be no complacency. I’ve been in a few Ryder Cup scenarios where we have had big leads and it hasn’t worked out. “But first and foremost... I want the guys to go out and enjoy themselves and go and play well.”
Yesterday’s second round commenced with Europe leading 4.5-1.5 over Asia. And for the second day running Poulter, a veteran of five Ryder Cup campaigns, set the tone, teaming up with fellow Englishman Danny Willett, to win 3&2 over Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee and An Byeong-Hun from South Korea.
In a 10-minute period Europe then secured three quick points to race ahead 8.5-1.5 as Bernd Wiesberger of Austria and England’s Ross Fisher won 2-up over the Korean pairing of Kim Kyung-Tae and Wang Jeung-Hun.
Lee Westwood and 21-year-old Matthew Fitzpatrick snatched the biggest win of day two with a 5&4 triumph over Asian Tour number one Anirban Lahiri from India and China’s Wu Ashun.
Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and India’s SSP Chawrasia recorded the Asian team’s only victory, finishing 2-up after a birdie on the last hole against Swede Kristoffer Broberg and England’s Chris Wood.
“It was a great way to finish with a birdie but then we both were playing solid golf... and really played well as a team,” Aphibarnrat said. The final match of the day—with Soren Kjeldsen from Sweden and Frenchman Victor Dubuisson playing Malaysians Danny Chia and Nicholas Fung—was halved.