Fred Couples fired his second consecutive 68 Saturday to join South Korean Y.E. Yang atop the leaderboard of the SAS Championship in Cary, N.C.
The pair sit at 8-under-par 136, clinging to a one-shot lead over a trio of pursuers, including first-round leader Rocco Mediate.
Yang shot a second-round 70.
Jerry Kelly (69) and Scott McCarron (69) join Mediate in a tie for third at 7 under. Mediate stumbled to a 72 at Prestonwood Country Club after opening with a 65.
Another seven players are within striking distance at 6 under, lurking in a tie for sixth.
Couples posted two bogeys and two birdies on the front nine before cleaning up with four birdies coming in.
"Basically, when you're playing tournaments like this where the courses are hard and everyone is 6, 7, 8 under, you have to shoot a really good round to win," Couples said. "Somebody will shoot 6 under tomorrow and probably get to 12 under, which makes me have to shoot another 68, which I'm very capable of doing and I feel good about myself."
Yang overcame a double-bogey on the par-4 sixth hole. He would finish with five birdies, plus a bogey on the back nine.
Mediate had a chaotic round. He opened with back-to-back birdies but then things got interesting. He would post two bogeys and a double on three of the next five holes. He then carded birdies on three of his next four holes before back-to-back bogeys on 15 and 16. He capped his round with a birdie on the 17th.
The SAS Championship is the regular-season finale of the PGA Tour Champions season. The top 72 players in the standings will qualify for the first round of the Schwab Cup playoffs.
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