Conover, NC – Chris Thompson and Tommy Gibson are doing their best to separate themselves from the field this week in the eGolf Tour's HGM Hotels Classic at Rock Barn. With matching 36-hole totals of 13-under 130, the twosome would like to think they have built a nice cushion on the field with two rounds to play. Nothing could be further from the truth with 29 players within five shots of their lead at the halfway point of the $235,000 event.

The tournament is being contested on both the Robert Trent Jones and Tom Jackson Courses at the Rock Barn Golf Club in Conover, NC. Players played one round on each course over the first 36 holes before playing the final 36 holes solely on the Jones course – site of the Champions Tour's Ensure Classic.

Tommy GibsonThompson, who posted a 4-under 68 on the Jones course to open the event, torched the front nine of the Jackson course to the tune of a 7-under 28 in perfect conditions on Thursday morning.

"I hit it close early in the round, but really kicked it off with back-to-back eagles at Nos. 7 and 8," said Thompson, who resides in Lawrence, KS. "Birdied 10 after that to get to 8-under on the round, and then I just stopped hitting it close for most of the back nine."

A five-hole stretch of pars from Nos. 11-15 came to a halt with a birdie at the par-3 16th after Thompson knocked in a 12-foot putt to get to 9-under for the day. A follow-up birdie at 17 took him to 10-under, but a closing bogey at the 18th left him a little sour on an otherwise perfect round of 62.

"You never want to end with a bogey," Thompson said after his round. "It's hard to digest – you're happy for the round but feeling like you wasted a big shot, especially at the last."

Thompson is competing in just his fourth eGolf Tour event of the season, having made all four cuts, with his best finish being a T22 at the River Hills Classic in May. After making it to the finals of PGA TOUR Q-School in 2006, Thompson spent 2007 and 2008 on the Nationwide Tour, logging 46 starts between those two seasons. During that stretch, his best finish was a T8 at the 2007 Cox Classic of Omaha.

A traveling pro for the better part of the last decade, Thompson is also a family man at heart and spent a lot of time at home this past winter.

"I spent most of the winter with my 2-year-old son, so I got a bit of a late start on the golf season. That's why I wasn't out here until April," said Thompson, whose wife is due with their second child this Thanksgiving. "As much as I travel, I don't get to just sit around and hang out with him much."

While most golfers chase year-round warm weather in locales like Orlando and Phoenix, Thompson is the rare bird who calls the Midwest home for 365 days a year. At Kansas University, Thompson was a two-time All American (1998 and 1999) and collected three collegiate titles during a career in which he became one of the best Jayhawk golfers in school history.

The harsh winters of the Sunflower State would scare most players away, but Thompson has made the best of the situation he has chosen.

"I can practice sporadically at KU's indoor practice facility. I just can't do it year round," said Thompson, who has called Lawrence his year-round home since finishing school. "The goal for us is to be as good as possible in October and November, so I feel like I'll be fresher at the end of the year that way. It's not for everyone, but it works for me."

Gibson, with rounds of 66-64—130, is tied for the lead for the first time in his eGolf Tour career this week. Playing his second round on the Jackson course, Gibson got off to a slow start at 1-under through six holes, but part of that may have been by design.

"I just tried to make pars and hit greens early on, but then I made a few bombs and decided to start firing at pins," said Gibson, who did not play a practice round on the Jackson course, and thus cautiously plotted his way around early in the day.

Birdies at Nos. 7, 8 and 9 quickly vaulted Gibson to 4-under on his round and immediately put him into contention at 10-under for the event. Closing birdies at 14, 15 and 17 would give him a round of 64 to get to 13-under for two days. His second-round 64 marked the lowest score of his tour career.

After a solid junior career, the Pilot Mountain, NC native enrolled at Surry Community College in Dobson, NC, but quickly decided that professional golf might provide a better challenge after winning 9 of 11 tournaments in his first year in school.

Tommy Biershenk"It has been a while since I've been in the final pairing, it brings back some good junior golf memories," said Gibson, who recently turned 21. "It feels good to contend again."

Tommy Biershenk of Boiling Springs, SC is in solo third following rounds of 68-63—131. The former Nationwide Tour player and Clemson University star captured the tour's Lake Hickory Open at nearby Catawba Springs Country Club for his second career eGolf Tour win in 2008.

After missing three cuts in a row in March and early April, Biershenk has notched T4, T19 and T3 finishes in his last three starts on tour. The father of two was the 36-hole leader at the River Hills Classic (T4) and was in the penultimate threesome for the final round of last week's Grand Harbor Open (T3). Biershenk has been close to winning again, and each week is further proof of his ability to catch the elusive third title.

David Steele of Naples, FL is in solo fourth following rounds of 68-64—132. Steele is one week removed from making his first cut of the season with a T66 finish at the Grand Harbor Open.

The third round of the HGM Hotels Classic will begin at 7:30 AM with players teeing off in threesomes off of Nos. 1 and 10 on the Jones course. The tournament is open to the public and free of charge.