Saturday May 22, 2010, 02:37 AM

First round co-leader Jason Day, of Australia, remained in the hunt after shooting a five-under 65 Friday in the second round of the PGA Byron Nelson Championship.

The 22-year-old from Beaudesert, Queensland is alone in second place at nine under 131 and is one shot adrift of leaders Cameron Beckman and Blake Adams.

Beckman rallied Friday morning in the finish of his delayed opening round with a pair of birdies for a 69, then tied the Four Seasons course record with a 61 in the second round later that day.

He's at 10-under 130, and level with PGA Tour rookie Blake Adams.

"I didn't know you could shoot 61 on this golf course to be honest with you, but obviously I did and I'm thrilled to death," said Beckman. "I liked how I was hitting yesterday, I was excited to play this morning."

The remainder of the leaderboard includes a mix of youth and experience. Aussie veteran Steve Elkington, 47, and 16-year-old Jordan Spieth of the USA are also up there.

A three-hour weather delay on Thursday forced the completion of the first round on Friday.

Spieth, who is at three-under 137, is a local high school student who became the sixth-youngest player ever to make the cut at a PGA event.

"I feel like I played better than my score showed today," said Spieth. "When something like that happens, and you're still somewhat in it, you kind of realize that if putts start to drop, you can make a run at it.

"I don't want to think of myself as the amateur out here. I want to think of myself as a contender."

Elkington has been playing this event since before Spieth was born. He got in when another golfer pulled out Sunday and has fired back-to-back 66s.

Elkington won 10 PGA Tour events in the 1990s, including a major.

But his winning drought on the USPGA extends back to 1999. He missed the cut here the last two years.

"I had a great 90s, I didn't do much in the last decade, so I'm glad that's over with, you know?" he said. "Last year, for example, I had rounds where I played one day like Sam Snead the next day like Sam Sausage. I did that last week in San Antonio."

© 2010 AFP/sid