Vegas has won multiple PGA Tour events, his most recent victory coming last July at the 3M Open, but a possible lead at the halfway point is rarefied air for him at a major.
His best finish at a major to date is a tie for 22nd spot in the 2016 US PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
He started steadily, dropping a shot at the second but clawing it back at the par-five seventh to reach the turn in level par.
Like on Thursday, his best work was done in the second half of his round.
Further birdies followed on 10, 13 and 14, while Vegas escaped with a par five on the 15th despite two wayward shots to start the hole.
Additional birdie chances slipped by on 16 and 17, where he received a huge slice of fortune – his tee shot to the par three landed short of the green but bounced kindly off a bunker rake and safely onto the green.
He was 10 under par heading down 18, but a poor bunker shot was compounded by a miss from exceptionally short range with the putter.
At the opposite end of the leaderboard, Jordan Spieth, who needs to win the US PGA title to complete a career Grand Slam, finished at two over and faces a nervous wait to find out if he will make the cut.
However, Masters runner-up Justin Rose (+9), world number six Ludvig Aberg and two-time US PGA champion Justin Thomas (both +3) are among the players almost certain to be heading home.
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