• Wyndham Championship, Round Two

Gainey and Simpson rise to the top in Greensboro

Tommy Gainey follows an approach shot © Getty Images

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• Profile: Paul Casey | Tommy Gainey | Ian Poulter

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Tommy Gainey carded a five-under par round of 65 to take a three-shot clubhouse lead after the second round of the Wyndham Championship on Friday.

Gainey, famous for his idiosyncratic style that includes a glove on each hand, followed up Thursday's fine round of 63 with another impressive offering - overcoming a bogey at his second hole of the day (the 11th) to pick up six birdies, including two in his final two holes of the day, to move clear of the field at 12-under.

Despite his scoring, however, Gainey was not entirely satisfied.

"I'm swinging at it pretty bad right now, but my short game saved me," Gainey said. "It's good to have a great short game and I think mine's there right now.

"I'm practising with different drivers and working on it. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much and not just hitting it."

His nearest challenger among the early finishers was Webb Simpson, another player who has enjoyed a breakout campaign on the PGA Tour in 2011. Simpson had three birdies and an eagle as he too recorded a round of 65, putting himself three behind Gainey at nine-under alongside Stuart Appleby and Daniel Summerhays.

One of only two Englishman in the field, Paul Casey, continued to do his chances of qualifying for the FedEx Playoffs no harm, as he recorded a blemish-free three-under round of 67 to move into the chasing pack at three-under.

Birdies at the fifth, 11th and 15th boosted Casey's cause - at 147th on the current money list, he needs to jump inside the top 125 if he is to continue playing into the PGA Tour's 'post-season'.

Fields at events immediately following major championships are usually a little low on star power, but a number of big names have forced their way into contention at Sedgefield Country Club.

Jim Furyk is at eight-under after a solid round of 67 - alongside another former winner of the US Open, Retief Goosen - while Jerry Kelly is continuing his decent form from the US PGA Championship to sit handily placed at seven-under.

The other Englishman in the field, Ian Poulter, has less cause for celebration - as his second successive round of 69 left him two-under for the tournament and set to miss the cut by a single stroke.

Padraig Harrington has struggled for form in recent times but at least won't suffer Poulter's fate this time - as he built on Thursday's 69 with a 68 that included two birdies in his last four holes to slip just inside the cut-line.

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