Stewart Cink fired seven birdies in a seven-under-par 65 to take a share of the lead with Tom Pernice Jnr, who shot a 68, after their second round of the $4 million International tournament yesterday.

Cink's flawless round at Castle Pines earned him 14 points under the modified stableford scoring format being used for the event.

The scoring system awards eight points for albatross, five for eagle, two for birdie, zero for par, and subtracts one point for bogey and three for double bogey or worse.

"Walking off the seventh green today, I was thinking the last time I was plus 20 was at Carnoustie after two rounds," joked Cink, referring to the brutal venue which hosted the 1999 British Open.

"It feels much better to be plus 20 here, obviously, and then adding one more birdie. I really made a lot of putts today."

Cink, eight on the American Ryder Cup ranking with just three qualifying events left, will make the team automatically if he stays in the top 10. But he said that was not on his mind.

Sniard Sergio Garcia and Justin Leonard were tied for fourth on 19 points, while Fuji's Vijay Singh had 18.