Furyk living on the edge on the greens

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

SOUTHPORT (Reuters) - Although a little frustrated with his putting, American Jim Furyk was in optimistic mood after moving within two strokes of the early lead in the British Open second round on Friday.

Bidding for his second major title, the former world number two carded a one-over-par 71 at a breezy Royal Birkdale for a two-over total of 142.

"I'm hanging in there," Furyk told reporters after finishing two shots behind pacesetting Australian Greg Norman.

"I played a solid round today. I had some opportunities on the back nine and made a few real good putts but I also had a few slide by the edge.

"I hit the ball in the fairway quite often and put the ball on the green. I just need a few more putts to drop here and there but so does everyone else."

Furyk, who tied for fourth when the Open championship was last held at Birkdale in 1998, said it was unlikely the players would be able to adopt an aggressive approach over the weekend.

BAD FORECAST

"The forecast is awful (for Saturday)," the 38-year-old added. "Sunday is supposed to be a little bit nicer but we all know that can change quickly. If the wind stays up at this pace it's going to be very difficult to attack.