Beginning off No. 10 tee, World No. 239 Bo Hoag walked off with bogey but still carded a 5-under-par 33-33=66 in the second round of the 3M Open to post 9-under 133, up six spots to T3 and the clubhouse lead with first-timer Chez Reavie (67). UPDATE: With R2 complete, Hoag is T3, one back of co-leaders Adam Hadwin (65) and Ryan Armour (65), who he’ll be with in the final threesome on Saturday.
The Ohio State alum, who arrived 125th in the FedExCup standings, is two swings back of the leader on the course, 18-hole quad-leader Jhonattan Vegas, who’s playing his second-to-last hole. This is his second 3M after a T12 last year, where he closed in a day-tying-low, career-low 63 (9 birdies, 1 bogey), and checked in off a season-best T11 at last week’s opposite-field Barbasol, where he was bogey-free in Rounds 1 and 3, and T8 at the halfway point (66-68-67-69). On nine (of 14) fairways and 14 greens in regulation, the 32-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on Sunday (July 25th), lost 0.467 strokes off-the-tee but gained 2.154 approaching and 2.392 with the flat stick. His lone drop was at the difficult par-4 ninth (forced layup after errant tee ball), but camouflaged that with six circles at 11, 12, 18, 2, 4 and 5, four from between 10 and 26 feet. (See link to post-round comments below).