MIAMI - Scottie Scheffler, targeting a return to top spot in the world rankings, set himself up for a weekend push at the RBC Heritage shooting a six-under-par round of 65 to move within three strokes of leader Jimmy Walker.
Victory would see Scheffler overtake freshly crowned Masters champion Jon Rahm and become world number one again.
But the Spaniard, who made a slow start with a one-over 72 opening round, moved up the leaderboard with the best score of the day, a bogey-free seven-under 64.
After starting on the tenth tee, Scheffler chipped in for an eagle on the par-5 2nd hole and ended his round with a bogey and a birdie.
Scheffler is one of three players on nine-under overall, alongside England's Justin Rose and American Xander Schauffele.
It is Scheffler's first appearance at Hilton Head and he said that lack of knowledge has been a factor in his play so far.
"There's a lot of nuances to this golf course, and I'm still kind of learning on the fly," he said.
"It's just those nuances kind of help when you're not really playing your best. I feel like I put myself in a few spots this week that haven't been great. But outside of that, I've played a lot of solid golf," he added.
Rahm had been weary in his first round, after all his exertions at Augusta, but he was back into his groove after making four successive birdies on his front nine.
The Spaniard had to make a ten-footer for par on his last hole, the ninth to keep his round bogey-free but said he was still battling with the after-effects of his Masters win.
"We did play 30 holes on Sunday on one of the hilliest walks all year. So adrenaline keeps you going so far, and then it's going to take a little bit for the body and mind to recover," he said.