CHIBA (Kyodo) Veteran Hajime Meshiai fired a blistering 9-under-par 63 to set a new course record and move within two strokes of the lead after the second round of the Bridgestone Open on Friday.
The 49-year-old Meshiai, an 11-time winner on the Japanese tour, set Sodegaura Country Club alight with an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey to eclipse the record set in 1982 by Taiwan's Hsieh Min-nan by one stroke.
Meshiai stormed up the leaderboard from a share of 52nd into fourth behind co-leaders Daisuke Maruyama and Hiroyuki Fujita and third-placed Paul Sheehan of Australia on a 36-hole total of 134.
"I just tried to be positive and play as well as I could today as this tournament will probably be my last on the tour this season," said Meshiai, who turns 50 next March.