Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele backed up a record 59 in round one of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with a tidy four-under 68 to retain the lead after round two.

The duo birdied holes two and four to get off to a great start, and their only bogey through the first two rounds – on the 12th on Friday – was sandwiched between birdies on 10, 11 and 13.

Their figure of 17 under is a 36-hole record in the event.

Speaking with the media after the round, Cantlay said they were enjoying their form – and the vibes.

"I think we just wanted to hit a bunch of quality golf shots, and we did that today," he said.

"We really fought hard and made a bunch of those mid-range putts, especially in the middle of the round, and that kind of kept the momentum going.

"I felt like we just have had good vibes all week, and we’ve been playing really solid golf. Same game plan for the weekend."

Schauffele added: "Alternate shot is an opportunity to do some cool things if you're making a lot of birdies.

"But for the most part, you're trying to leave your partner in a good spot to make an easy par."

One stroke further back are the pairings of Aaron Rai with David Lipsky and Doc Redman with Sam Ryder. Those teams both shot five under after shooting 61 in the first round.

Jay Haas made history as the oldest player to ever make the final two days of a PGA Tour event, teaming up with son Bill to shoot 65 on Thursday and following it up with a 66 in the tougher Friday format to sit right on the cut line at eight under.

Cameron Tringale and Wyndham Clark are tied for fourth on 15 under, along with the South African pairing of Branden Grace and Garrick Higgo, while Australians Jason Day and Jason Scrivener are one of two teams at 14 under in a tie for sixth.

The Grace-Higgo and Day-Scrivener duos also shared round-of-the-day honours, as the former went bogey-free with seven birdies, and the latter has seven birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on the seventh.

Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman, along with Bubba Watson and Harold Varner III, highlight the logjam at 11 under.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler and his team-mate Ryan Palmer were disappointing in the second round, but were one of four pairs to make the cut despite shooting even par for the day.