Palmer shoots 62, joins lead at Byron Nelson
Locals Kitayama, Harkins go above respective cut lines
MCKINNEY, TEXAS » Jordan Spieth thought the course for his hometown Byron Nelson would play more difficult after yielding more birdies in its debut than any other tournament on the PGA Tour last season.
The three-time major winner says he couldn’t have been more wrong, and is frankly surprised over how little he thinks was done the first two days to make TPC Craig Ranch a stiffer test.
Ryan Palmer, one of the Dallas-area players in the shadow of Spieth and Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, shot a 10-under 62 on Friday and was tied at 15 under with Sebastián Muñoz and 40-year-old tour rookie David Skinns.
Muñoz, a Colombian who lives in the Dallas area and went to college at North Texas, was even through 13 holes coming off his second 60 of the season — a first on the PGA Tour — before birdies on three of four holes for
a 69. Skinns shot 63.
Justin Lower, another older tour rookie at 33, was alone in fourth, a shot behind the leaders after a 66.
“I mean, a 60 yesterday and a lot of 8s (under) and 7s all over the board,” said Spieth, who shot 65 and was three shots off the lead in a group that includes defending champion K.H. Lee.
“It’s just, a lot of tees are
up, it was very surprising,” Spieth said. “I think they were looking at the weekend as a lot less wind and so they used more of the easier pins the first two days because I can only name one or two pins on this golf course that were not the easiest two locations that are on the greens. I’m a little surprised at how, on a not-so-difficult golf course
they have also set it up a little easier for us, too.”
The Nelson was the only 2020-21 tournament with more than 2,000 birdies (2,007). There were 38 eagles in the first round Thursday, the most for a single round this season.
Charl Schwartzel had one of the Friday eagles in a round of 65 that put him at 13 under. The 2011 Masters
winner drove into a greenside bunker on the 316-yard, par-4 14th and holed out from there.
The top-ranked Scheffler, who came in with four wins in six individual events capped by the Masters victory, shot a 68 and was 9 under after two rounds alongside his fellow former Texas Longhorns in Spieth and Lee.
Chico’s Kurt Kitayama shot a 70 to follow his opening 73 and is tied for 120th, over the cut line.
Palmer, who finished his opening round with an eagle on the par-5 18th, started
on the back nine and birdied six of the last seven holes on that side, then added four more on the front in a bogey-free round.
The 45-year-old hasn’t won an individual event since 2010 in Hawaii. Palmer lives in nearby Colleyville and is a member at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
KORN FERRY TOUR » Former Chico State player Brandon Harkins shot a second straight 70 in the Visit Knoxville Open in Tennessee and was tied for 99th, over the projected cut line in the suspended round.