Ocean View pro Dwayne Pearman fired a three-under-par 67 ? the best round of the day ? to move back into contention during second round action in the Gosling?s Invitational at Belmont Hills yesterday.

But it was first day leaders Delroy Cambridge and Kirk Hanefeld who kept a grip on the $50,000 tournament.

On another blustery day, both Cambridge and Hanefeld fired even par 70 for a two-round 137 total, one ahead of Bill Walsh (138) and four clear of fourth-placed Pearman (141).

After struggling with the putter and having to settle for a four-over-par 74 in Monday?s opening round, it was Pearman who seemed to cope best with the course?s sloping and lightning fast greens ? not to mention the challenging pin placements ? in slightly more favourable weather conditions.

Not even bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes could derail the 1992 Belmont Invitational champion?s surge up the leaderboard on a course where ball positioning remained of paramount importance.

Pearman moved from a two-way tie for ninth up to fourth yesterday.

?I made senseless bogeys on two of the easiest holes on the golf course to lose two shots on the field but overall I thought I putted okay today as I did manage to make more putts than I did yesterday. I also thought I hit the ball solidly off the tee,? Pearman told .

The veteran pro?s impressive comeback was punctuated by birdies at the fifth and ninth holes which enabled him to make the turn at even par. He then three-putted at ten to make par before closing out with additional birdies at 12, 13 and 16.

?I got back to even par after nine holes which was better than yesterday and then I made three birdies coming in,? Pearman added. ?So overall I have to be pleased with my performance today but there?s still two days of golf left to play.?

Jamaican-born Cambridge and American pro Hanefeld both entered the clubhouse with identical scores off 70 as again nothing could separate the two front-runners.

Walsh, meanwhile, added a two-under-par 68 to Monday?s even-par 70.

Last year?s tournament runner-up Joe Rinker also remained in the hunt for top honours by firing a one-under-par 69. Rinker climbed from eighth to fifth spot to keep his hopes alive.

But a decision to aggressively approach the ?tricky? greens at Belmont ultimately thwarted European Senior Tour player Cambridge?s bid to break away from the pack. Bogeys at five, ten and 18 ensured he remained deadlocked with Hanefeld after 36 holes.

?I made a couple of big mistakes out there today. I hit the ball pretty good but I thought I was a bit too aggressive with the putter,?said Cambridge.

After making birdies at four, six and eight, Cambridge entered the back nine at one-under. But he failed to turn the screws on his rivals and break away over the final holes. Cambridge squandered golden chances at ten and 12 where he missed a short putt for eagle.

?The greens were a bit tucked away today and I wasn?t too pleased about that,? he added. ?The pins were placed on slopes and they were very hard to get to.?

Rinker, who made three birdies and a eagle at the par five 12th, was delighted to come in under par.

?I?m extremely satisfied,? he smiled. ?Of course, everybody wants to be in the lead after two rounds. But as long as it?s within reach then you?re doing the right thing and sort of getting it done.

?I just hope to make a couple more putts to move right up there with the leaders. The greens are extremely fast and even when you ?re putting down green you can have putts running 15 to 16 feet away. You just have to barely touch it and off it goes.?

After overcoming three bogeys en route to producing the day?s second lowest round, the smile on the face of Walsh spoke volumes ? along with the five birdies circled on his scorecard.

Walsh held onto sole possession of third spot.

?I am very pleased. I?ve been many times before but these are probably some of the best set of greens in terms of conditions and speed,? he said.

?They are also very true and so if you hit the putt on line then you know you?ve got a good chance to make it. But overall I?m just happy because I haven?t played golf for the last two or three weeks so coming out here I was a little up in the air as to how I was going to play. But I?m hitting the ball pretty solidly and I think I can putt a little bit better.?

Local favourite Michael Sims shot 71 to hold onto seventh position at four-over for the tournament.

?I hit some really good shots and some not so good shots out there today,? he said. ?My putter started working a little bit today and I managed to make some birdies.?

Sims birdied four holes to improve upon his opening day score of 73 by two shots.

?The greens are very quick going downhill but overall I think the course is in great shape,? he continued. ?The greens are such that you have to hit the right section in order to give yourself an opportunity otherwise you will end up having a lot of defensive putts.?

In the amateur division opening day leader Leroy Burch came undone at the seams. Burch, like many others in the field, struggled with the putter and had to settle for a ten-over-par 80 which opened the door for rival Hav Trott ? who shot a four-over 74 ? to move into sole possession of the lead.

Burch fell off the pace after making a triple bogey at the par-three fourth hole and back-to-back double bogeys at 15 and 16.

Jeffrey Lindo?s seven-over-par was enough to keep him in second spot with Burch two shots adrift in third with 36 holes left to play in the tournament.

Noel VanPutten, who carded a six-over 76 yesterday, continues to lead the seniors division over Max Atherden (79) and former top cricketer Winston (Coe) Trott who shot a five-over-par 75.