Two well-performed New Zealand golfers have continued on their successful ways after the second round in tournaments in China and the United States - with Tim Wilkinson poised in 14th place at the Verizon Heritage and Mark Brown fifth in the China Open.
Brown won the US$2.5 million
Johnnie Walker Classic in Delhi last month to rejuvenate a career jettisoned after hitting tough times following a fine showing in the amateur ranks.
His fifth placing in the China Open came after his second straight 71 on a blustery day in the European Tour-sanctioned tournament, followed by a 69 in the third round, leaving him six strokes behind leader Damien McGrane, of Ireland, who is 11 under par.
Frenchman Michael Lorenzo-Vera is three strokes behind McGrane, tied with England's Oliver Wilson.
Brown has already won ¬356,000 ($711,000) this year and mixed one bogey with the four birdies he shot, three of them in a good final nine holes.
Wilkinson, meanwhile, has turned heads in his rookie PGA season. He has played nine events, making six cuts and has never finished lower than 30th when making a cut. He has made US$646,000 ($820,000) on the PGA tour so far. He finished third in the Zurich Classic and sixth in the Puerto Rico Open and is well placed for a top 20 finish at the Verizon, played on the spectacular Hilton Head course.
The leaderboard is headed by Lucas Glover at 10 under par, a shot ahead of Boo Weekley and with a large bunch - including Jim Furyk, Stewart Cink and Australia's Robert Allenby - all within four shots of the lead. Wilkinson and 12 others are a further shot back. Best rounds of the day were the 64s shot by Weekley and Stephen Ames.
Wilkinson started poorly with a double bogey and two bogeys but he rocketed home, hitting four birdies in the final four holes to finish with a back-nine 32 in his overall score of 68.
