Safeway Open notebook:
Hadley misses out on shooting 59, settles for course record.
Chesson Hadley is a railthin 30-year-old with one victory on the PGA Tour (the 2014 Puerto Rico Open) and four wins on the Web.com Tour. He nearly added another distinction Friday at Silverado Resort: becoming the latest Mr. 59.
Hadley had a great chance to shoot golf ’s magic number, until he made pars on Nos. 17 and 18. So he “settled” for a courserecord 61 in the second round of the Safeway Open in Napa.
Tyler Duncan, a 28-year-old making his first start as a PGA Tour member, shot 66 to surge into the lead at 13-under-par. Brendan Steele posted 67 to reach 12-under, one stroke back, and Hadley will enter weekend play at 11-under.
Hadley’s crazy-low round Friday broke the previous record of 62, set last year by Scott Piercy. Before that, tournament host Johnny Miller held the mark of 63.
The final totals for Hadley: 10 birdies, one eagle (on No. 9) and one bogey.
“It was a pretty magical round,” said Hadley, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs only 160 pounds. “You don’t get many chances at 59, so I was definitely aware of it and trying to do it.”
Hadley hit 16 of 18 greens and needed only 25 putts. Lefty lingers in hunt: Phil Mickelson, erratic off the tee in Thursday’s opening round, rediscovered his touch Friday. He hit eight of 14 fairways one day after hitting only two of 14.
Even so, Mickelson posted his second consecutive 69. Good, not great.
“I drove it a lot better, hit a lot of good shots and shot the same score,” he said after his round. “Those low rounds are out there, and I’ve got to go get one tomorrow.”
Mickelson will begin Saturday’s third round at 6-underpar, tied for 15th and seven shots off the lead. Briefly: John Daly shot 34 on the back nine, including a clutch birdie on No. 18, to barely make the cut at 1-under-par . … Brandon Harkins (Las Lomas High-Walnut Creek) and Patrick Rodgers (Stanford) both shot 70 to advance to the weekend. … Among the notable players to miss the cut were Keegan Bradley, Michael Kim, Sam Saunders and Cameron Champ.