Brights Grove, Ont., native Mike Weir sits dejectedly at the eighth tee box during second-round play at the Canadian Open in Toronto on Friday. (Dave Donnelly/CBC)

The sun had started to dip below the tree-lined fairways on the second day of the RBC Canadian Open before some recognizable names finally made their way to the top of the leaderboard.

Tim Clark finished off a bogey-free 64 at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto on Friday night to join Dean Wilson (65) at 10-under 130 halfway through Canada's national championship. They were one stroke up on first-round leader Brent Delahoussaye (69) and Steve Wheatcroft (66) on a leaderboard littered with unfamiliar names.

Clark is one of just eight players here who is inside the top-30 in the world rankings, but doesn't necessarily think that will give him a big advantage.

"I'm sure everyone in the field has been in the fairways," he said. "You can expect some of them to go low and carry on into the weekend. So I still need to keep doing what I'm doing, and I'm sure there's going to be more names creeping up on that leaderboard after [Saturday]."

The group of players two strokes off the pace included J.J. Henry (65), Rob Grube (66), Brock Mackenzie (68) and Hunter Mahan (67).

Among the top-20 players on the leaderboard, Clark and Mahan are the only ones with a PGA Tour victory in the last two years. Wilson's lone win on tour came at the 2006 International and he's spent a long time chasing another trophy.

"It's just tough," he said. "There's so many good players, and it's tough to break through. Once you get your game up there and you're playing well and at the top of the leaderboard is one step. Being able to handle the pressure and sleep with the lead or just feel comfortable doing it [is another one].

"It just takes a lot of experience."

Canadian Tour player Adam Hadwin is having the time of his life at the $5.1-million US event. The 22-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., drained a 15-foot par putt on the final green despite shaking because of nerves and signed for a 66 that left him four shots behind.

He had the best score among the three Canadians poised to make the cut. Calgary's Stephen Ames (68) and Jon Mills (71) of Oshawa, Ont., will also be around for the weekend.

"That's pretty exciting for me," said Hadwin, who turned pro earlier this year. "Coming up to that putt on 18, I looked at the scoreboard and I saw Ames at 5-under, and I knew I was at 6-under, so I wanted to make that putt to stay low Canadian.

"That was a huge momentum boost for me for the weekend."

Weir misses cut

Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., is on his way home. The popular lefty is battling tendinitis in his right arm and had trouble finding the fairways, shooting a second-round 74 to miss the cut at his home tournament for the first time since 2006.

"I was trying as hard as I could," Weir said.

There were low scores to be had at St. George's, despite the morning rain that left greens more susceptible to aggressive approach shots. Kevin Sutherland matched Delahoussaye's course record with a 62 on the tree-lined Stanley Thompson layout while Tim Herron came in with a 63.

Both players attributed their low scores to excellent putting.

"It got kind of silly," Sutherland said. "The hole just got so big for me, I was making putts from everywhere."

The biggest key seemed to be driving the ball in the fairway. The rough at St. George's is deep enough to cover a player's shoe and no one has been able to score well without accuracy off the tee.

Interestingly, Clark started closing in on the lead by making a birdie from the rough at No. 17. He managed to gouge his approach onto the green before sinking a 21-foot putt.

"I hadn't missed too many fairways, and that was one of the few ones that I actually hit in the thick spot," Clark said. "Any time you're driving in the rough, you're pretty much just trying to make par. It's sort of like stealing a shot there."

The South African beat a quality field at The Players Championship in May, earning him his first PGA Tour title after eight runner-up finishes. He's had plenty of experience with the pressure that comes with being in contention.

After opening with a 62, Delahoussaye got his first taste of it on Friday. His best finish of the season is a tie for 53rd so his second round here was a unique experience.

"I [had] a few shot lead, and the cameras started coming around," Delahoussaye said. "And like I said, obviously from my scores early on this year, I haven't had cameras coming around ever."