Graeme McDowell is looking to finish a tough year on a high after opening with a 15-under 57 with Canadian partner Corey Conners in the €3.18 million QBE Shootout in Florida.

Making his ninth appearance in an event where he has had three runner-up finishes, the Portrush man (42) was happy to see Conners (29) drive the ball brilliantly and putt the lights out as they made 13 birdies and an eagle in the scramble format to share second place with defending champions  Matt Kuchar and Harris English, just one shot behind Australians Marc Leishman and Jason Day.

Scores

"Corey drove the ball fantastic," McDowell said at Tiburón. "The hardest thing I had to do was try to keep in my rhythm when I followed him down the fairway; he drove it so well. 

"I just felt like we ham-and-egged well. I had some nice wedge shots; I putted well early. Corey putted fantastic on the back. Scramble format's about making putts."

With the winning team taking home €792,000 (€396,000 each), McDowell knows they must go low again in today's modified foursomes to give themselves a chance in tomorrow's fourballs at the Naples venue.

"We're looking forward to hopefully continuing to kick on into the weekend," McDowell said. "Tomorrow's an important day with the toughest format coming up. I just like the way we both hit the ball today; we both covered each other well, and we're looking forward to it tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Tandragee's Olivia Mehaffey birdied four of her last seven holes to lie fourth at halfway in the Ladies European Tour Q-School Pre-Qualifying event in Spain.

The former Curtis Cup star (24) was three over through 11 holes on the North Course at La Manga but birdied the 12th, 14th, 15th and 17th to add a one-under 70 to her opening 71 to get to three-under-par.

Scores

The Co Down star, who lost her father Philip after a long battle with cancer just last week, is just four strokes behind Sweden's Lisa Pettersson, who backed up her first-round 67 with a three-under 70 on the South Course.

Pettersson (26) leads by three shots on seven-under from Spanish duo Elena Hualde and Marta Sanz Barrio in the race to make the top 75 and ties who will progress to the 90-hole Final Stage at the same venue from December 16-20.

Clandeboye's Victoria Craig (24) is also on track to progress to the final stage after she carded a one-over 74 on the South Course to share 53rd on five-over.

"The wind wasn't as strong today as it was yesterday, so it definitely played a little easier than for those that played the South Course yesterday," Pettersson said.