Palmer leads in Honolulu

Ryan Palmer sneaked in with a four-under-par round of 66 late in the day to take the halfway lead at the Sony Open in Honolulu.

Early starter Robert Allenby had led the second round for much of the day at Waialae Country Club before late finisher Chad Campbell matched him at eight-under-par.

Even later than Campbell, Palmer got to nine-under for the tournament with back-to-back birdies at the 17th and 18th.

Australian Allenby had opened his US season with a five-under-par 65 late on Thursday to take a six-way share of the overnight lead, including Palmer, and he followed it with a three-under 67 to get to the clubhouse at eight-under at the first full-field event on the 2010 PGA Tour.

Campbell then posted a bogey-free 64 before fellow American Palmer's 66 took control, Zach Johnson bringing up the rear with a birdie at his last, the par-five ninth, for a 67 to get him to eight-under despite a triple bogey at the 17th, his eighth of the day.

World number three Steve Stricker and fellow American Jeff Quinney matched Allenby's second-round 67 and were lying two strokes behind Palmer alongside compatriot and another of the six first-round front-runners John Merrick, who shot a 68.

Allenby credited some solid putting on an otherwise wayward day for keeping him in contention for a first title on US soil since winning his fourth PGA Tour event in 2001.

"If you're hitting it good or hitting it bad, if you're not putting it well you're not going to score well," Allenby said. "Today was just purely that I putted well.

"I hit a few good shots but I think I only hit three fairways for the whole day and about 11 greens whereas yesterday I hit a fair chunk of the fairways and hit a lot of greens.

"So it was just one of those days. I had to grind it out and I did that very well."

Allenby was still struggling on an ankle he twisted when stepping off a kerb in Honolulu on Monday.

"The swelling's down but I'm still very gun-shy on trying to make any decent swings," he said.

"It's just a question of staying patient. I know I'm going to hit a lot of bad shots, that's just the way it is.

"I can't rotate properly and I can't come through the ball properly. I'm just making do with what I've got and just relying on my short game really."

Masters champion Angel Cabrera (68), Davis Love III (69), Troy Matteson (67) and Shane Bertsch (68) were a further shot back on six-under, while Paul Goydos had the round of the day after improving on his opening 72 by nine shots to get to five-under at halfway in a group also including Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini of South Africa.

England's Justin Rose was another to make a big move with a second-round 65 to improve to three under.

Rose's fellow Englishman Brian Davis moved to one-under following a 69 but Luke Donald missed the cut despite posting a two-under 68 that left the Ryder Cup star at two over par with the cut line at one-over.

Former Open and US PGA champion John Daly and a Swedish trio of Jesper Parnevik, Mathias Gronberg and Daniel Chopra were part of the group making an early exit.