Recap of the day
Morning wave: Lanto Griffin and Beau Hossler both carded 65s to hit the heights of 10-under 132, but it only left them T4 after the early starters had completed. Matt Jones went low with a 63 to ease one swing clear of them, but Brian Stuard (65) and 2017 champion Patrick Cantlay (64) topped them all by reaching 12-under.
Afternoon wave: No draw bias and so plenty of the late starters tucked into the low scoring. Lucas Glover, with a 63, and Kevin Na, with a 62, joined the leaders to make it a four-way tie at the top on 12-under. Jones remained alone on 11-under, but Sam Ryder (67), Scott Stallings (65) and Nick Taylor (69) made it a five-man pack in a tie for sixth. 49 players head into the weekend on 7-under or better.
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Leaderboard: -12 Brian Stuard, Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Kevin Na, -11 Matt Jones, -10 Lanto Griffin, Beau Hossler, Sam Ryder, Scott Stallings, Nick Taylor
Notables: -9 Ryan Moore, Webb Simpson, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, -8 Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson,
Low round of the day: Kevin Na’s 62
Cut: -5 137
MCs: -4 Chez Reavie, Bubba Watson, -3 Dylan Frittelli, -1 Brooks Koepka, E Cameron Champ, +18 Smylie Kaufman
Revised outright betting: Cantlay 3/1, Na 11/1, Glover 12/1, Simpson 16/1, Scott 18/1, Morikawa 18/1, Stuard 20/1, DeChambeau 22/1
Saturday weather forecast
A wonderful day. Sunny, warm (low 70s), a light breeze (6 mph) and no chance of rain.
Leaders at 36 holes
Brian Stuard (65, 130) – Actually down on his birdie count of eight on Thursday, but went bogey-free so only needed the six. Only two men have hit more fairways than his total of 24.
Patrick Cantlay (64, 130) – Started on the back nine and blitzed it in 30 blows before returning home in 1-under. Leads SG: Tee to Green (8.910) and Off the Tee (3.463) for the week. Missed two greens in R2, the only two he’s missed all week.
Lucas Glover (63, 130) – A flawless lap of six birdies and one eagle-3. Missed just two greens in each lap and was 100% for Scrambling in round two. +1.890 SG: Putting and don’t knock it – any time he gains on the greens is a good one for his putter.
Kevin Na (62, 130) – A strong first nine (four birdies), a blip at ten (bogey), but a sizzling run to the halfway line (two eagle-3s and a birdie brace to end). He gained a whopping 5.620 strokes on the greens on Friday.
Fate of the favorites
Brooks Koepka (71, 141) – Made 1.212 Off the Tee, but lost shots in all other categories. Five bogeys and one double bogey is not going to work in these conditions.
Patrick Cantlay – see above
Hideki Matsuyama (67, 135) – He’s bogey-free through 36 holes, but has failed to weight in with par breakers and stats show why: top 12 for the three SG long game categories, 51st Around the Green and 72nd on it.
Adam Scott (67, 133) – Limped through ten holes in 1-over, but five birdies in eight holes saved his weekend. Ranks 18th for SG: Putting but no better than 30th in any other SG category.
Quotes
Brian Stuard (65) - “These are big opportunities for the year end, so it’s nice to get off to a good start for sure. It’s definitely tough on the weekend when you’re playing in the last few groups. Just going to go out and try to be as patient as possible and see what happens.”
Patrick Cantlay (64) - “I’m ready. I like this place. Had a good track record here and feel comfortable, which is a big part of it.”
Lucas Glover (63) - “About a year and a half ago decided I needed to try to putt like a kid. It’s been a big help. Confidence breeds confidence, so you see some go in and see the short ones go in, it just builds.”
Kevin Na (62) - “My putter was hot. I started with a 60-footer on the first hole, and I just kept making putts. Kenny and I were reading the greens really well.”
Brooks Koepka (71) - “I’m not disappointed. I feel like I was very, very close. This golf course, it’s just a matter of inches.”
Road to victory at TPC Summerlin
2018/9 Bryson DeChambeau – R1: 5th, R2: 4th, R3: 1st
2017/8 Patrick Cantlay – R1: 6th, R2: 8th, R3: 4th
2016/7 Rod Pampling – R1: 1st, R2: 1st, R3: 2nd
2015/6 Smylie Kaufman – R1: 26th, R2: 48th, R3: 28th
2014/5 Ben Martin – R1: 19th, R2: 5th, R3: 1st
Notes: Since the tournament became a 72 hole event (rather than 90) in 2004, 11 of 15 winners were inside the top five at the halfway stage. Three were quite a distance off the pace however: Andre Stolz in 2004 was T27, Wes Short T20, Smylie Kaufman T48 and even Patrick Cantlay, although only T8, was seven shots back.
Fate of the halfway leaders at TPC Summerlin – where did they finish?
2018 Peter Uihlein 23rd
2017 J.J. Spaun 10th
2016 Rod Pampling 1st
2015 Brett Stegmaier 2nd, Chad Campbell 8th, Morgan Hoffmann 11th, Tyler Aldridge 43rd
2014 Russell Knox 3rd, Andrew Putnam 33rd
Notes: Since 2004, 28 men have held or shared possession of the lead at this stage and six have gone on to claim the win. In all 11 ended the week outside the top ten.
Focus on – Jim Furyk
There is little debate that the 49-year-old enjoys playing in this tournament. He won his maiden PGA Tour title in Vegas in 1995 and made it three there by 1999. But even in the 21st century he has maintained his consistency on the track. Seven of his nine starts since 2000 have reaped top 20s and his 68-66 start leaves him T21 and just one stroke off making it 8-for-10.
Focus on – Smylie Kaufman
Golf can be a brutal sport. Back in 2015 Kaufman thrashed a brilliant final round 61 to overhaul a seven-shot 54-hole deficit and claim the title here in Vegas, but his performances on the course since reflect his career. On defense he just made the cut and finished the week T72, last year he didn’t make the weekend, this year he clubbed 84-76 to finish last in the field. He’s now made one cut in his last 29 starts.
