Jamie Broce playing to win at PGA Professional Championship

SEASIDE, Calif. -- If it seems like Ohio's Jamie Broce is always in the mix at the PGA Professional Championship, it's because he usually is.

Broce was a runner-up in a playoff at Myrtle Beach to winner Michael Block. Last year in Sunriver, he tied for fifth.

Thirty-six holes into the 51st PGA Professional Championship at Bayonet Black Horse, Broce is 2 under and on the first page of the leaderboard.

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"It's been a grind both days," said Broce, who had two bogeys, a double bogey and four birdies in Round 2. "You just can't let up out here. The greens are getting firm and the fairways are firm. You're landing the ball safely in the fairway and they're not always finishing in the fairway. You've got to be patient and hit as many fairways as you can, because it's hard to hit greens if you're not in the fairways."

So what's the reason for Broce's consistently solid play in the PPC, where he also tied for 31st in 2015 and finished in a tie for 21st in 2016? It's all about the approach.

"I think having played well in this event in the past, it keeps you thinking about winning and trying to compete to win instead of maybe coming out here and having a good time, or try to get in the top 20, or make the cut," he said. "You're preparing and you know what it takes maybe to compete on the last day. I think maybe the expectation and the preparation are to compete to win."

Broce has plenty of work ahead if he's going to win the PPC for the first time on Wednesday. But, he loves the draw, which had him at Black Horse for Round 1, allowing him to put the focus solely on Bayonet for the final three days.

"I like that I have Bayonet three days in a row because I could focus in on Black Horse for the first round and then completely start thinking about just Bayonet the rest of the way," he said. "I like it that way and it worked out well for me."