Kevin Kisner fired a second consecutive round of 67 to open up a three-shot lead on day two of the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
With most of his closest rivals set to go out in the second wave on Friday, the joint overnight leader had a chance to stamp his authority on the event and set a daunting clubhouse target and he did just that in Charlotte.
The man from South Carolina posted a four under par round to get to eight under and he had a four-shot advantage before his co-overnight leader Thorbjørn Olesen birdied his first hole in the second round.
American Gary Woodland was then at four under having played four holes of his round, with countryman Rickie Fowler in the clubhouse five shots off the lead.
Kisner had birdied the 18th on Thursday to share the lead and he carried that momentum into round two, making gains on the tenth and 12th to move ahead. He then dropped a shot on the next but re-established a two-shot cushion on the 15th.
Nine pars followed but a 48-foot putt from off the seventh green brought an eagle and the 33 year old had a commanding advantage midway through the day.
Olesen holed from six feet to take advantage of the par five tenth, with Woodland doing the same from eight feet.
Fowler bogeyed the 12th after a poor tee-shot but an approach to three feet on the 14th and a tee-shot to 15 feet on the 17th helped him back into red numbers before ten straight pars.
US Open champion Brooks Koepka was also three under having played two holes, with Chris Stroud at that mark having yet to tee off.
Byeong-hun An was then at two under after a 69.
An bogeyed the first but chipped in for an eagle on the seventh to turn in 34. His back nine was then a roller coaster with four birdies and three bogeys seeing the 2015 BMW PGA Championship winner sit six shots off the lead.
European Tour Members Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed were at two under in the early stages of their rounds alongside Hideki Matsuyama, Tony Finau and Grayson Murray.
New Zealander Ryan Fox was a further shot back after producing the round of the week so far with a 66.
