He started his round with a bogey on Friday, but Erik van Rooyen quickly made up for it in the second round of the Valero Texas Open on the PGA Tour as he carded a four-under-par 68 to move into a share of fourth ahead of the weekend’s action.
He also finished with a bogey on the ninth, having started his round on the 10th, but his six birdies were responsible for leaving him four shots off the pace set by Cameron Tringale of the United States. He, in turn, was two shots clear of Jordan Spieth and England’s Matt Wallace.
Van Rooyen cancelled out his opening bogey with a birdie on the par-five 14th, and then quickly got into red figures with three birdies in succession from 16th to the turn at 18. Things quietened down a little after the turn, with pars all the way until the sixth. Birdies on seven and eight got him to five-under for his round, but he dropped a shot on the par-four ninth when he missed his approach to the left of the green, and was unable to get up and down for par.
Charl Schwartzel carded a one-over 73 in the second round to be level-par for the tournament at the halfway mark. Branden Grace was able to make the cut with a second-round one-under 71 to be two-under to get into the weekend on the number.
For Van Rooyen, a win this week would be doubly significant as it would get him into the Masters field for next week.