Austin Smotherman fired a career-low 62 on Friday to take a one-shot lead halfway through the Bank of Utah Championship at Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah. The 9-under round included 10 birdies, most from inside 10 feet, and pushed Smotherman to 17-under 125 after 36 holes.
Smotherman, playing his 100th PGA Tour event, matched his lowest round ever, which he had previously shot at the Cognizant Classic earlier this year and the Bermuda Open four years ago. His birdie spree ended with three consecutive birdies on holes 15, 16, and 17, including a 20-foot putt on the par-3 17th. That finish gave him his second 36-hole lead of the year; he led after two rounds at the Cognizant Classic, where he eventually tied for second.
“It was just very steady — a lot of greens, a lot of fairways, a couple tight wedges,” Smotherman said. “It's what you've got to do to shoot 9 under.”
Kevin Roy sits one shot behind Smotherman after matching his opening round 63 with another 63 on Friday. Roy broke his best 36-hole score by five shots in perfect conditions at the Black Desert Resort. At 16-under 126, Roy is inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup standings but still looking to secure his place for next season’s full PGA Tour card.
“I think first and foremost keep a job,” Roy said. “No, really, just keep going out and just trying to play one shot at a time and see where we stack up at the end. Obviously it would be really nice to kind of feel pretty darn comfortable with say four events to go, but looking forward to the 36 holes coming up.”
Roy plans to compete next week at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan before deciding on the rest of his schedule.
Doug Ghim also carded a bogey-free 62, leaving him two shots off the lead at 15-under alongside Kevin Streelman, who shot a 65. Streelman, who will turn 48 next month, is competing on a major medical exemption that expired after the previous tournament. He said he expects to play a few more events this fall but is taking it week by week.
“I feel like I have nothing to lose, really,” Streelman said. “This is my almost 20th year doing this and pushing 500 starts and my family’s coming in this weekend. I just feel I’m going to try and attack and have fun, and if things go well, great. If they don’t, it’s OK, too.”
Among the drama on Friday was Jackson Koivun, a 21-year-old who finished at Auburn in June and recently went unbeaten in the Presidents Cup at Medinah. Koivun was outside the projected cut line for much of the day but birdied the par-5 18th to secure his place for the weekend. His drive found a bunker, but he managed to clear the hazard and then converted a six-foot birdie putt to finish with a 67 and make the cut on the number at 6-under 136.
Utah native Tony Finau missed the cut.
The Bank of Utah Championship is the second of eight events in the FedEx Cup Fall series, where the top 100 players in the standings keep full PGA Tour cards for the next season. The top 60 earn spots in $20 million signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
After 36 holes, Smotherman leads at 17-under, followed by Roy at 16-under, with Ghim and Streelman two shots back. Koivun made the cut on the number, while Finau did not advance to the weekend.
According to Yahoo Sports.