Matt Kuchar carded a 7-under 64 Friday to claim the second-round lead at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, but all the buzz surrounded rookie phenom Cameron Champ.
Kuchar, looking for his first worldwide win since 2015, played exceptionally well on the front nine, with five straight birdies at one point. He then staved off potential disaster on the 12th hole when he hit his tee shot into the trees, but he knocked home a 35-foot putt to salvage bogey. He has a 14-under 128 through two rounds.
Matt Kuchar is the new solo leader: pic.twitter.com/UenTgdD06m
“Yesterday was kind of a bogey-free day and just easy, and everything else today was about the same,” Kuchar said (via PGA Tour.com). “I just had that one challenging hole.”
But Champ, who is seeking his second victory in three weeks, was even better Friday, firing a 9-under 62 despite bogeying the final hole. He’s only two shots behind Kuchar. Coming off his first PGA Tour victory two weeks ago in the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, Champ conceded the course doesn’t fit his long-hitting style (“it’s not a bomber’s course,” he said), but he was pleased to have good control Friday.
“Just to be able to place my ball right in the fairways and on the greens and make the putts when I needed is great,” he said.
There’s a logjam of golfers right behind Champ, with seven players tied for third, four strokes off the lead at 11-under, and four more golfers at 10-under.
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