Sung Kang of South Korea thought he needed to win the AT&T Byron Nelson to get into the 101st PGA Championship next week, and he gave himself a chance.
The 31-year-old Kang, who has won four times at home on the Korean Tour, posted a blistering 10-under-par 61 in chilly conditions to take a four-stroke lead over Matt Every and Tyler Duncan midway through the AT&T Byron Nelson at Trinity Forest Golf Club https://trinityforestgc.com in Dallas.
Then Kang learned later in the day he had been elevated from his status of first alternate into the PGA field because Davis Love III withdrew, and now he can concentrate on earning his first PGA Tour victory.
Kang threatened his career-best score of 60 at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, also in the second round, on his way to finishing in a tie for 17th in the 2016 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He had a 71-foot putt on the last hole and left it 14 feet short, but knocked in the next one to save par.
“The hardest thing was figuring out how far less the ball was going to go because it was so much colder than yesterday,” said Kang, who tied the course record set by Marc Leishman of Australia last year. “My caddie and I figured out on the range that it was about five percent less and we just trusted the numbers. The good thing was that there wasn’t as much wind as yesterday.
“I didn’t putt very well yesterday, but I figured something out on the practice green and it worked out great. I made a few birdies on some very tough holes and turned in a real good score.”
Kang, whose best result on the PGA Tour was second behind Russell Henley in the 2017 Shell Houston Open, birdied six holes in a row through No. 10 in his record-tying, bogey-free round and finished 36 holes at 16-under 126.
Every, whose only PGA Tour victories came in the 2014 and 2015 Arnold Palmer Invitationals, sank a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to cap a 65 and tie for second with Duncan, seeking his first pro victory, who birdied four of his first seven holes to kick-start a 66.
Third-ranked Brooks Koepka, who will defend his PGA title next week, collected five birdies on the back nine including four in a row through No. 17 in a 66 and is five shots back in solo fourth, while Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia is one more down in a solo fifth after a bogey-free 65.
Martin Laird of Scotland and Beau Hossler of Rancho Santa Margarita recorded 66s and are seven back in a tie for sixth with Roberto Diaz of Mexico, who had a 67, while Michael Thompson is eight behind in ninth following a 68.
Local favorite Jordan Spieth had five birdies on the back nine in a 67 and is nine back in a tie for 10th with Matt Jones (70) of Australia, Jonas Blixt (70) of Sweden, Sebastian Munoz (66) of Columbia, Stephan Jaeger (66) of Germany, Doug Ghim (66) and Zack Zucher (68).
Defending champion Aaron Wise of Lake Elsinore is tied for 36th after a 69, while first-round leader Denny McCarthy followed his 63 with an ugly 77 and made the cut on the number in a tie for 67th.
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