Max Greyserman fired a 10-under par 60 to pull within one stroke of leader Matt Kuchar when darkness halted Saturday’s second round of the rain-hit PGA Wyndham Championship.
Greyserman birdied the first five holes and 10 overall in a bogey-free round but US compatriot Kuchar birdied three in a row late to shoot a second consecutive 64 and swipe the lead on 12-under 128 through 36 holes at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Steady golf but found a lot of fairways,” Kuchar said. “Was able to get the golf ball in my hand, tee it up and be able to be fairly aggressive with the iron shots.”
Greyserman was in an all-US second-place pack with Chad Ramey and Cameron Young on 129, with England’s Aaron Rai and Americans Beau Hossler and Billy Horschel sharing fifth on 130.
Kuchar, 46, is the only player to qualify for the PGA Tour playoffs every year since the system began in 2007 but he must win to have a chance to extend that run past this week’s regular-season finale and reach the top 70 in season points.
“I really don’t think much about it. I try to play well every week,” said Kuchar. “I don’t focus on my point positioning, where I stand. I just don’t know how that helps you play good golf.”
A tropical storm dumped more than six inches of rain on the course to wash out play Thursday and delay Friday’s start, preventing the first round from finishing until Saturday morning and pushing the second round finish to Sunday morning.
Organizers will try to make the cut and play 36 holes before darkness on Sunday.
World number 76 Greyserman, a PGA Tour rookie, was a threat to the all-time PGA Tour record low 18-hole score of 58 posted by American Jim Furyk in the last round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.
The 29-year-old American hoped to at least be among the few to fire 59 in a PGA event, the most recent being American Hayden Springer at last month’s John Deere Classic.
“I was definitely thinking about it. I think everyone would be thinking about it down the stretch,” Greyserman said. “Once I got to 8-, 9-under I started to think about it and it’s good nerves — it’s like 72nd-hole nerves.
“I tried. I putted really well. Maybe another time.”
His prior low PGA round was a 63 in the final round two weeks ago in a runner-up effort at the 3M Open.
Greyserman’s round was the 57th 60 in PGA Tour history and the fifth this season after Americans Nick Dunlap, Beau Hossler and Wyndham Clark and Canada’s Nick Taylor.
– ‘Icing on the cake’ –
Greyserman’s opening run saw him sink putts from just inside 28 feet at the first hole, just outside 12 feet at the second, nine feet at the par-3 third, just beyond six feet at the fourth and a tap-in at the par-5 fifth.
He then reeled off four birdies in a row on the back nine, starting with a putt from just outside six feet at the par-3 12th and another from just outside four feet at 13.
Greyserman’s most spectacular putt of the day was a 75-foot birdie effort at the 14th.
“That one was icing on the cake,” he said. “I’ll take those any day.”
He followed that with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 15th and rolled in a 24-foot birdie putt at 17 — but only managed par at 18, to settle for 60.
Defending champion Lucas Glover made a hole-in-one at the par-3 12th hole. His tee shot from 189 yards bounced twice and went in the hole for his sixth career PGA Tour ace.
Hours later, fellow American Joe Highsmith aced the 12th, becoming the first player with three aces in one season since the PGA began tracking them in 1983.
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