After a horror start to The Sentry, Cam Davis posted the joint-best second-round score of the day to claw his way into the top 20 in the field.

Davis fired a nine-under 64 on Friday — nine shots better than Thursday — to join compatriot Adam Scott (69) on nine under for the tournament midway through the PGA Tour season opener.

The 29-year-old Sydneysider had nine birdies, including four in a row on numbers four to seven and on the ninth. His lone bogey on the 12th sandwiched back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11, and 13 and 14. He also birdied the last.

Scott began his round with back-to-back bogeys before making birdies on the fifth, sixth and ninth. He had four birdies on the back nine, his only blemish coming on the 16th.

This is Scott’s 25th season on the Tour, but clearly, his hunger hasn’t waned as he craves a move up the rankings.

“I haven’t achieved all my goals that I set out to, so I don’t think it’s unrealistic, given the way I’ve played certainly the last six or eight months to get myself back up toward the top of the rankings again,” said Scott, a former world number one.

“I think I can still achieve a couple big victories out here that I would like, and that’s really, I guess, what drives me.”

The Australians are in pursuit of leader Hideki Matsuyama, who shot an eight-under 65 for the second day in a row to hold a one-shot lead from Collin Morikawa (65).

“Seems like Hideki is trying to birdie every hole out there,” said first-round leader Tom Hoge (68). “So it was nice to kind of keep up the pace with him a little bit.”

Matsuyama is at 16-under for the tournament.

Morikawa had a chance to pull even after making five consecutive birdies near the end of his round before he settled for par on the 18th hole.

“I just hit some quality shots and gave myself a run of birdie opportunities,” Morikawa said. “I felt like for the entire back nine I had birdie looks. Obviously, I made a handful, but it was just nice to see a couple drop.”

Maverick McNealy (64) moved to 14 under to join Canada’s Corey Conners (66), Belgium’s Thomas Detry (65) and Hoge (68) in a tie for third place. Detry’s highlights included reaching the green on the par-four 14th hole with his drive and sinking a 3.4-metre eagle putt.

Matsuyama had a bogey-free round, including birdies on two of the three par-three holes.

“I’m definitely satisfied with where I am,” Matsuyama said.

Among a group of golfers who enjoyed solid rounds on Friday were Keegan Bradley, who drained a 29-foot eagle putt on the 18th, and Wyndham Clark. They both shot 64.

Bradley and Clark are at 13 under in a four-way tie for seventh place with Cameron Young (67) and England’s Harry Hall (65).

Others with 64s on Friday were Peter Malnati (eight under), JT Poston (eight under) and Patrick Cantlay (eight under).

Former world number one Jason Day shot another 70 to be six under for the tournament.

AAP/Reuters