ROCHESTER, New York, Aug 16: Shaun Micheel came to his own rescue on Friday, birdying the last two holes to grab a two-stroke lead after two rounds of the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.

A relatively anonymous figure on the PGA Tour still searching for his first win, Micheel received an award for bravery after saving two people from drowning in a sinking car during a golf tournament in North Carolina in 1994.

Micheel, 34, honed his skills in South Africa and Asia while making repeated visits to qualifying school to retain his PGA Tour card.

But after all the missed cuts, the travelling and more than 170 tournaments in the U.S., he feels maybe his time has finally arrived.

“Sure, why not?”, Micheel told reporters when asked if he thought he could win here. “Someone is going to have to win.

“I’ve played in enough golf tournaments now as a professional I feel like maybe I’m ready to do something.

“I’ve played in maybe 175 tournaments on the PGA Tour without a win, so maybe it’s about time I do something.”

A big finish to his second-round 68, which included birdies on four of his last five holes, put the American on 137, three under par and two shots ahead of U.S. Masters champion Mike Weir of Canada and Billy Andrade.

Only once before has Micheel held the lead in a PGA Tour event, and that experience did not end well.

“Obviously I’ve never (led) in a major,” smiled Micheel. “This is only my third major championship.

“Players rate their career on how many majors they’ve won. Heck, I’ve only been in three.

“The last time I led a tour event was the BC Open. I think I had a three-shot lead going into the last day and I didn’t close that one out very well.

Leading second round scores

137 - Shaun Micheel 69-68

139 - Billy Andrade 67-72, Mike Weir (CAN) 68-71

140 - Rod Pampling (AUS) 66-74

141 - Ernie Els (RSA) 71-70, Jose Coceres (ARG) 73-68, Chad Campbell 69-72, Tom Pernice 70-71, Adam Scott (AUS) 72-69, Tim Herron 69-72, Phil Mickelson 66-75

142 - Timothy Clark (RSA) 72-70, Lee Janzen 68-74, Fred Funk 69-73, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 69-73, Geoff Oglivy (AUS) 71-71, Charles Howell 70-72

143 - Frank Lickliter 71-72, Alex Cejka (GER) 74-69, Phil Tataurangi (NZL) 72-71, Loren Roberts 70-73, Toshimitsu Izawa (JPN) 71-72, Robert Gamez 70-73, Kevin Sutherland 69-74

144 - Jay Haas 70-74, Len Mattiace 74-70, Mark Calcavecchia 73-71, Trevor Immelman (RSA) 74-70, Todd Hamilton 70-74, Scott McCarron 74-70, Briny Baird 73-71

145 - Chris DiMarco 74-71, Michael Campbell (NZL) 74-71, Fred Couples 74-71, Jesper Parnevik (SWE) 73-72, Duffy Waldorf 70-75, Woody Austin 72-73, Luke Donald (ENG) 73-72

146 - Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 69-77, J.L. Lewis 71-75, Rocco Mediate 72-74, Niclas Fasth (SWE) 76-70, Hal Sutton 75-71, Ben Crane 73-73, Carlos Franco (PAR) 73-73, Rory Sabbatini (RSA) 71-75, Tiger Woods 74-72, Jim Furyk 72-74

147 - Johnathan Kaye 74-73, Scott Hoch 75-72, Ian Poulter (ENG) 72-75, Shigeki Maruyama (JPN) 75-72, Bob Estes 71-76, Joe Durant 71-76, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 71-76, Stuart Appleby (AUS) 74-73, Robert Allenby (AUS) 70-77, Kenny Perry 75-72, Bernhard Langer (GER) 75-72, David Toms 75-72

148 - Peter Lonard (AUS) 74-74, Eduardo Romero (ARG) 77-71, Padraig Harrington (IRE) 72-76, Gary Evans (ENG) 74-74, Billy Mayfair 76-72, Bob Burns 72-76, Jose Maria Olazabal (SPA) 74-74, Paul Casey (ENG) 79-69, Brian Gay 74-74, K.J. Choi (KOR) 74-74.—Agencies