Kris Kim, a 16-year-old English newbie enjoying on a sponsor exemption on the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, turned the youngest participant in 11 years to make the reduce in a PGA Tour occasion.
Kim completed his second spherical Friday with a birdie for a 4-under 67. At 7-under 135, he was amongst 66 gamers who made the reduce, which was 6 below. Jake Knapp was the chief at 14-under 128.
Guan Tianlang was 14 when he made the reduce at each the Masters and Zurich Basic of New Orleans in 2013, in line with ESPN Stats & Info analysis.
At 16 years, seven months previous, Kim is the fifth-youngest participant to ever make a PGA Tour reduce, in line with the Tour. His feat additionally comes simply two weeks after Miles Russell, 15, turned the youngest to make the reduce within the 35-year historical past of the Korn Ferry Tour.
Kim, who’s the son of former LPGA Tour participant and South Korea native Ji-Hyun Suh, is making his PGA Tour debut. He’s the primary newbie sponsored by South Korean firm CJ Group, which is the title sponsor of the Nelson for the primary time.
A primary-time Tour winner earlier this yr, Knapp, enters the weekend with sole possession of the lead after a second consecutive 7-under 64. At 14-under 128, he was a stroke forward of Troy Merritt (62) and first-round chief Matt Wallace (66), and two forward of Kelly Kraft (66).
“Even after I was doing any of that stuff, I all the time knew this was what I wished to do, and felt prefer it’s the place I needs to be. Simply wasn’t there but,” stated Knapp, simply greater than two years faraway from working safety at a restaurant in his hometown that was additionally a late-night hotspot. “Simply saved working away and sticking at it.”
Merritt closed his season-low spherical with an eagle on the 531-yard ninth gap, the place he hit his method to 16 ft and made the putt. He had birdied 4 of the earlier six holes.
Wallace completed on the identical par 5 later within the day, and saved par after driving right into a native space after which chunking a shot from there to below a bridge.
Hometown favourite Jordan Spieth, the highest-ranked participant within the area at No. 20, shot a 70 to complete at 4-under 138 and miss the reduce by two strokes. On the sixteenth, his wayward drive ricocheted off the elbow of a male spectator again into the golf green. He nonetheless bogeyed the outlet, then parred his final two.
Defending champion Jason Day closed his spherical with a 35-foot par putt for a 70, and was simply on the reduce line at 6-under 136.
Knapp’s solely bogey by means of the primary two rounds was on his twelfth gap Friday, the dogleg No. 3, the place his drive went into the left tough. However he birdied 4 of his final six holes, that stretch beginning with a 32-foot putt on the par-3, 192-yard fourth gap.
“Clearly, a putt you are not making an attempt to make,” he stated. “Hit it slightly bit tougher than I’d’ve favored and fortunately it was on a superb line and went in.”
Knapp, who turns 30 on Could 31, misplaced his card on the developmental Korn Ferry Tour earlier than taking the part-time job within the fall of 2021 on the place in Costa Mesa, California, the place for practically 9 months he labored Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights – usually till 2 or 3 a.m. The previous UCLA participant would observe and go to the gymnasium in between his work shifts.
He bought his third win on PGA Tour Canada in August 2022, and final yr earned his PGA Tour card by ending the season thirteenth on the Korn Ferry Tour. He received the Mexico Open in his fifth begin this season, and his ninth general, together with two as an newbie in 2015.
His PGA Tour biography additionally touts that he can remedy a Rubik’s Dice, likes to work out and would pursue a profession within the health trade if he wasn’t enjoying golf.
“Yeah, few attention-grabbing ones about me,” Knapp stated. “I do my greatest to, I am sort of a golf-only man. Simply play a whole lot of golf and observe lots. That is been my focus for the final 4, 5 years.”
At TPC Craig Ranch north of Dallas, Knapp hit 16 of 18 greens every of the primary two rounds. He additionally had the identical variety of putts (28) each days, although the mixed distance of these pictures on the greens went from 75 ft on Thursday to 139 ft on Friday.
“For probably the most half hitting it fairly stable and holding in the correct areas. Made it comparatively simple on myself.” Knapp stated. “Early on within the yr felt like I used to be placing effectively, and for the final month or so the stroke felt the identical and ball wasn’t going within the gap. … Good to see a couple of extra entering into.”
Merritt opened his spherical with consecutive birdies earlier than a three-putt bogey at No. 12, although he bought that stroke proper again with a 52-foot chip-in at No. 13. He made solely his second reduce in his previous six tournaments, and completed 67th within the different one.
“It is implausible, particularly while you hit the ball stable and making lots putts,” stated Merritt, who’s in his 331st PGA Tour occasion and final received in 2018. “You are not unintentionally there. You have truly performed effectively to get there. I have not carried out that. I’ve accidently back-doored a pair prime 10s final fall.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
