Donald chasing Stricker

Luke Donald’s bid for victory at the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Texas stepped up a gear today as the Englishman posted a five-under-par 65 to move into the mix behind runaway clubhouse leader Steve Stricker.

Donald’s second-round effort moved him to seven under after hitting a solid if unspectacular 68 yesterday.

The 31-year-old will be at least seven shots off the clubhouse lead going into tomorrow’s third round, however, after Stricker hit a sizzling 63 for the second day running to move to 14 under at the top of the leaderboard.

Jason Day was in second place through 17 holes, the Australian five shots off the lead on nine under, while Ryan Palmer is eight under for the tournament.

Kenny Perry and Vijay Singh were also eight under through three holes.

Paul Casey is level with Donald on seven under after hitting a 67 today, while Kevin Sutherland was also in the clubhouse with a two-round total of 133.