Wilmington, NC …

For five years Billy Hurley 111 was an officer in the US Navy as a lieutenant aboard a guided missile destroyer.

However on day two of the Wells Fargo Championship the 34 year old has joint command of the $US 7.5m tournament being staged at Eagle Point course in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Hurley 111 grabbed six birdies, including four over his last seven holes, and had three bogeys in a three under par 69 to move to five under before being joined atop of the board by Irishman Seamus Power.

Hurley 111 is the reigning Quicken Loans champion and now is seeking a second Tour title.

“I played really solidly but the wind made it really difficult, for sure. I mean, at least I think with the rain the greens were a little softer, so even though you had to deal with the wind, you did not have to deal with the ball running like crazy on the ground on top of the wind, so that made it a little bit easier,” he said.

Former US naval officer Billy Hurley 111 takes joint command of the Wells Fargo.

“Like every round of golf, you want one or two back, but to finish four birdies out of the last seven holes and make the par save on 9, that was a good feeling heading into the weekend.

“And to finish the way I did, it was really big for me because I have finished poorly in a lot of rounds of golf in the last month or so, so that was really big for me. I double bogeyed 17 yesterday, I double bogeyed the 72nd hole in San Antonio, I bogeyed the 72nd hole in Hilton Head.

“So it was big for me to get that putt in the hole and just carry the momentum”.

ABOUT BILLY HURLEY 111

• A graduate from the United States Naval Academy in 2004, he served as a Naval officer from 2004-09. Was a lieutenant aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer from 2007-09, serving in the Persian Gulf to protect Iraqi oil platforms. Also spent time on the Red Sea and the South China Sea. Served on the USS Chung-Hoon, a 10,000-ton guided-missile destroyer. Also worked on a cruiser in Jacksonville, Fla., and a destroyer in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii during his five-year obligation
• Not many people know that he won two ship-driving awards during his Naval career and also navigated the Suez Canal
• Superstitions include marking his ball with a 1960s dime
• Quaker Ridge GC in Scarsdale, N.Y., is his favorite course
• Favorite teams are the U.S. Naval Academy, the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Redskins.