The American was one of three men who were two shots adrift of overnight leader Rikard Karlberg after Thursday's opening round in Malaysia and another consistent performance, amid a two-hour weather delay, has left him on 10 under par for the tournament.
After starting his round on the back nine, Hurley III made a fast start with three birdies in his opening four holes, before another run of gained shots at the 16th, 17th and 18th saw him go out in just 30.
His card could have looked even better but the 32-year-old, who has never won on the PGA Tour, found himself in trouble at the second and recorded a double-bogey six, before regaining one of those strokes with a birdie at the seventh.
Compatriot Kevin Streelman sits alone in second place after he shot four under for the second day running, the 35-year-old signing for a bogey-free round.
A cluster of seven players are tied third, including Englishman Lee Westwood who shot up the leaderboard with a superb seven-under-par 65.
After enduring a frustrating even par round on day one, Westwood fired himself into contention and produced the moment of the day with a hole-in-one at the par-three 11th.
Fellow Ryder Cup winner Sergio Garcia is also on seven under for the tournament, the Spaniard's six birdies were negated somewhat by two bogeys, while defending champion Ryan Moore is also on seven under.
Karlberg's chances of winning the tournament took a blow, however, he endured a miserable round and signed for a four-over par 76 that left him in a tie for 25th on three under.