SA's Christiaan Bezuidenhout in the hunt at Phoenix Open in Arizona

Bezuidenhout followed up a well-played four-under-par 67 at TPC Scottsdale on Thursday with an even better five-under 66 on Friday.

That took his total to nine under par for the tournament, three shots adrift of Belgium's Thomas Detry, who holds the lead on 12 under after a superb seven-under 64.

Bezuidenhout did not have a single bogey on his card on Friday, while the highlight of his round came at par-4 17th hole, where a superb tee shot set up a simple-three footer for eagle - the best performance of the day on the penultimate hole.

In January 2024, Bezuidenhout tied his best finish on the PGA Tour with a runner-up finish at The American Express; one shot behind amateur Nick Dunlap. He claimed first place prize money due to Dunlap's amateur status.

Detry, who like Bezuidenhout is chasing his first US tour title, posted eight birdies on the day to open up a two-shot lead over Alex Smalley and Michael Kim.

Bezuidenhout follows in a tie for fourth a further shot back alongside Tom Kim and three-time major winner Jordan Spieth.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler is five shots off the pace after rounds of 69 and 66 and reckons he still has an "outside chance" of challenging on the weekend.