Team Canada’s Papineau and St-Germain capture titles at Graham Cooke Junior Invitational
BROMONT, Qué. – Team Canada Development Squad members Étienne Papineau of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Qué., and Grace St-Germain of Ottawa each took home titles on Sunday at the Graham Cooke Junior Invitational hosted at Golf Château-Bromont.
Papineau, 18, notched his third victory in his home province this season after shooting 9-under par (68-67) for the one-stroke win over Félix Normand of Mont-St-Hilaire, Qué. in the boys division.
With the win, the West Virginia University commit marked the end of his junior career in great fashion—adding to an impressive season highlighted by wins at the Québec Amateur Championship and the Alexander of Tunis. The two-time provincial junior champion finished in a tie for third in last year’s Graham Cooke Invitational.
In the girls division, 17-year-old Grace St-Germain repeated as champion for the second consecutive year to win the title for a third time. St-Germain posted an even-par score (70-74) for the tournament, fending off a charge from Céleste Dao of Notre-Dame Ile Perrot, Qué., to defend her title with a one-stroke victory.
Click here for full scoring.
Ko and Kung share lead heading into final round of Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Lydia Ko and Candie Kung share the 54-hole lead heading into the final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
“Overall I played really solid today, so I’m happy with the way I’m hitting it and the way I’m putting it,” Ko said. “I think every round, unless I shoot 18-under par, I’m probably going to say, hey, I knew it could have been better. But no, I’m playing solid, and that’s the mind-set I’ve got to have and just have fun out there tomorrow.”
Ko recorded four birdies against a lone bogey on 18 to shoot a 69. Kung’s play was more up-and-down with four birdies and three bogeys.
“Feeling pretty good today,” Kung said. “I hit the ball good and it was actually one of the best ball-striking days I had all week. Just missed a couple putts here and there. Those were all wrong reads. But I’m hitting it good, putting it good.”
Ko will be looking to become just the third golfer to win three Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship titles, joining Meg Mallon and Pat Bradley.
Kung, a four-time winner on the LPGA Tour, is coming off of her best finish of the year with a tie for second at the Cambia Portland Classic last week and will be looking for her first victory since the 2008 Hana Bank-KOLON Championship.
“I’m actually very relaxed,” Kung admitted. “After what I went through last week, I’m actually feeling quite comfortable where I’m at right now.”
Chasing Ko and Kung in the penultimate group will be Alison Lee, who shot a third-round 65 to sit two shots back and Karine Icher who is three back at 9-under.
Alena Sharp remains the top Canadian after a 1-under 71 has her tied for 28th at 2-under for the championship. The Hamilton native will look to go even lower Sunday.
“I want to go out and have a good Sunday here,” Sharp said. “I didn’t look at the scoreboard out there, but a 67 or 68 tomorrow would be nice.”
Brooke Henderson recovered from a rough start to shoot an even-par round of 72. The 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., missed a short birdie putt on her opening-hole, had a bogey on the second hole, and then hit the water on No. 3 for a double-bogey.
Henderson, who had sister Brittany as her caddie Saturday, settled down with birdies on No. 6 and No. 7. and then put together a string of pars before ending the day with a birdie to get her round back to even-par.
The final-round gets underway Sunday at 8:40 am PT with the final pairing teeing-off at 2:50pm PT. Tickets are still available at the gate and kids 17 and under are free.
Billy Andrade leads Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Billy Andrade made a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a 7-under 65 and a three-stroke lead Saturday after the second round of the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic.
The 51-year-old Andrade had eight birdies – three in a row on Nos. 13-15 – and a bogey to reach 10-under 134 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. The four-time PGA Tour winner teamed with Joe Duran to win the Legends of Golf in April for his first Champions Tour title.
Bernhard Langer and Jeff Freeman were tied for second. Langer, the 2010 winner, had a 66, and Freeman shot 68.
Langer, who turns 58 Thursday, birdied five of the final six holes. The German star is trying to tie Gil Morgan for third place on the tour’s career victory list with 25.
Freeman got into the tournament as an alternate. He has three top-10 finishes in 33 Champions Tour starts.
Fred Couples, from Seattle, was tied for fourth at 4 under after a 71.
Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ont., leads the Canadian contingent with a share of ninth-place. The 60-year-old carded a 3-under 69 and is part of an eight-way tie. Stephen Ames sits tied for 32nd following a 74 while Jim Rutledge finished the day with a 79.
Pendrith, Ryder share 54-hole lead in Ottawa
OTTAWA – Richmond Hill, Ontario’s Taylor Pendrith and Longwood, Florida’s Sam Ryder reached 15-under par through 54 holes at Hylands Golf Club on Saturday to share the lead heading into the final round of the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada’s National Capital Open to Support Our Troops.
The 24-year old Pendrith held a two stroke lead playing the 18th hole before finding the water with his approach and making double bogey, leaving him in a tie with Ryder with one round to go at Hylands.
Uniontown, Ohio’s Ross Beal and Otsego, Minnesota’s Clayton Rask, who holed his 82-yard approach on the 18thfor eagle, were one shot back at 14-under in a tie for third.
“I played solid, hit the ball really well and made a lot of putts, so I can’t be too disappointed. It would have been nice to hit it in the fairway on 18 and a make a par, but that’s alright. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed tomorrow,” said Pendrith, a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad.
“I played well all day and had a nice little stretch on 13 through 16. I was hitting it in the fairway and my irons were pretty good today,” said Ryder, a second year Mackenzie Tour player who sits 11th on the Order of Merit. The Stetson University grad shot a 7-under 64, including four straight birdies on the back nine.
Pendrith began the day playing in the final group with Beal, the 36-hole leader, with the pair of long bombers ranking among the longest hitters on Tour. Pendrith said the back-and-forth battle off the tee spurred both competitors on Saturday afternoon.
“It was fun. We both hit it really far and we were both swinging very hard on almost every tee ball. He made five or six birdies and an eagle and I made nine birdies, so it was a lot of fun,” said Pendrith, a graduate of Kent State University.
Ryder, meanwhile, played with current Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit leader J.J. Spaun, who shot his third straight 4-under 67 to sit tied for fifth. Ryder said the amicable atmosphere in their pairing was the perfect tone-setter for his round of 64, which included four straight birdies on the back nine on holes
“We had a good time. J.J.’s a buddy of mine. We talked before the round and said ‘Let’s go out here and get it, feed off each other a little.’ It’s nice when you both can start making some birdies and get it going, it definitely helps you and gets the juices going,” said Ryder.
Three shots back of the lead were Spaun and Zimbabwe’s Nyasha Mauchaza at 12-under. 12 players were within five shots of the lead at 10-under or better heading into Sunday.
NUMBERS YOU NEED TO KNOW
82: Clayton Rask’s yardage to the hole on his second shot at the par-4 18th, which he holed for eagle.
20: Taylor Pendrith’s number of birdies through 54 holes.
12: Players within five shots heading into Sunday.
QUOTABLES:
“Last year was my first year out here and this year has been steady. I’ve put myself in some good positions. Hitting the shots under the most intense pressure you can get out here. It’s just about being patient and waiting for your time, and when it comes, it comes.” – Sam Ryder on the value of a year’s experience on the Mackenzie Tour.
“I was five yards short of the green and he was like seven yards short. It was a good way to start the day and keep the crowd in it. I saw him swing and he went at it, so I couldn’t let him hit it by me.” – Taylor Pendrith on he and Ross Beal’s drives on the 365-yard first hole.
“I hit it good. It was funny, [Rask and caddie Don Constable] just got done saying ‘how fun would it be to hole out?’ and sure enough it happened. It’s just ironic. For all the good putts that I hit today that lipped out, some good wedge shots that didn’t do it that I thought would, to hit one and it actually do exactly what we wanted it to do, it’s exciting.” – Clayton Rask on his hole out from the fairway on 18.
Notes:
- Weather: 24 degrees Celsius (27 with Humidex). Mostly sunny. Winds 4 km/h.
- Sam Ryder can move as high as no. 2 on the Order of Merit with a win. He needs at least $10,695 and a solo third finish to pass no. 5 Michael Letzig, who sits T22 through 54 holes.
- National Capital Open Golf Ambassador Brad Fritsch sits T6 at the Web.com Tour’s News Sentinel Open through 54 holes.
- Taylor Pendrith is a member of Golf Canada’s Young Pro Squad along with fellow Mackenzie Tour members Mackenzie Hughes, Albin Choi, Corey Conners and Adam Svensson.
- Pendrith is also a member of Freedom 55 Financial’s Team Freedom, along with fellow Mackenzie Tour members Matt Hill, Albin Choi, Mackenzie Hughes and Adam Svensson.
- Pendrith can move as high as No. 2 on the Order of Merit with a win and needs at least a solo second place finish to get inside The Five.
Woods 2 strokes behind Gore after 3rd round at Wyndham
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tiger Woods couldn’t have asked for much more at his first Wyndham Championship.
He’s playing with confidence. His scores show it. And now he’ll play a Sunday round that matters.
Woods shot a 2-under 68 in the third round Saturday, leaving him two strokes behind leader and longtime friend Jason Gore in a three-way tie for second.
Gore had a career-best 62 to reach 15-under 195 at Sedgefield Country Club.
“I need to go out there tomorrow and make a run and get myself up there and make some birdies,” Woods said. “There’s a bunch of guys … at 13 (under). There’s a whole slew of guys at 12, 11, 10. Anybody can make a run and shoot the score Jason and Jonas (Blixt) did.”
Woods – whose streak of 28 holes without a bogey ended on the 18th when his 6-foot par putt lipped out – reeled off 10 straight pars before briefly moving within one stroke of Gore with a birdie on the par-3 16th.
“I felt very steady from the word `go,'” Woods said.
Blixt and Scott Brown joined Woods at 13 under. Blixt shot a career-best 62, and Brown had a 66.
Former Wyndham winners Webb Simpson (64) and Brandt Snedeker (67) were three strokes back along with Paul Casey (66), Jim Herman (66) and Cameron Percy (67).
Woods was poised to make a run at his first win in more than two years – one that would earn him enough points to clinch a spot in the FedEx Cup playoffs opener next week in New Jersey. Depending on the math, a solo second-place finish also might be enough for Woods, who’s at No. 187.
“I think it’s awesome to see him playing well again, to see him playing like Tiger Woods,” Gore said, “because that’s what we all want to see.”
He also moved one step closer to his 80th PGA Tour victory – and first since the 2013 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
Playing the Wyndham for the first time in an effort to hone his game and earn a spot in The Barclays, Woods is attempting to win a tournament in his first try for the first time since 1999 – when he won the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Spain.
For him, this day was about consistently making pars – 15 in all, including a remarkable save on the 10th with a 24-foot putt.
“The putter just felt really good. My pace, I felt like I could be aggressive,” Woods said. “I took a few runs at putts and ripped them past the hole, but I never felt like I was going to miss any of them. I took a rip at them. Some I made, some I didn’t.”
His only birdie on the back nine was an important one. He plopped his tee shot on 16 about 12 feet from the hole and rolled in the putt to move to 14 under before giving that stroke back on his final hole.
That bogey prevented a final Sunday pairing with Gore – who was instead paired with Blixt. Gore says he’s known Woods “since we’ve been 12 years old” as kids in California.
Gore started the round six strokes off the lead. He took over the top spot at 14 under with a birdie on the 15th, then closed with another on the 18th – hitting his second shot to 7 to set up his ninth birdie of the day.
At No. 166 on the points list, Gore put himself in position for his second career win on tour and his first since the 84 Lumber Classic in 2005. He has just 15 top-10 finishes in the past decade.
“Contrary to popular belief,” Gore quipped, “I’m still a good golfer.”
His big round came in relative anonymity because once again, an overflow crowd followed Woods’ every move.
Woods began the day sharing the lead with rookie Tom Hoge at 11 under, but claimed sole possession for the first time with a birdie on the first hole.
Blixt joined him at 12 under moments later, then jumped ahead with a birdie on the 17th. Woods caught him by rolling in a 5-foot birdie putt on the fifth before Gore shot past them both.
Still, Blixt has given himself a shot to make the playoffs and earn his tour card for next year. He’s at No. 135 on the points list and No. 147 on the money list, and said he’d be “very pleased if I secured my job.
“A win will take care of that,” he added. “Shoot another 62, I should have a good chance.”
Erik Compton, a two-time heart transplant recipient who shared the first-round lead, withdrew before his third round with an injured left ankle but says he’s hopeful of playing in The Barclays.
Had he pulled out a day earlier, the cut line would have moved to 2 under and 19 more players – including bubble players Michael Putnam (No. 134) and Tom Gillis (No. 138) would still be around this weekend.
Abbotsford, B.C., native Adam Hadwin finished the round 4-under 66 on the strength of five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. He is 8-under for the competition and is T27.
Henderson recovers to shoot even par at Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
COQUITLAM, B.C. – Just when it looked like her game was going off the rails, Brooke Henderson recovered to shoot an even par round of 72 Saturday at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
The 17-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., who became the centre of attention after her LPGA Tour win last weekend, remains at 1 over heading into Sunday’s final day of the US$2.25-million tournament.
Henderson had a bogey on the second hole, then hit the water on No. 3 for a double-bogey. She settled down with birdies on No. 6 and No. 7. Despite some putting problems. she put together a sting of pars before ending the day with a birdie.
“It was a really rough start,” Henderson sighed after the round. “I am happy to finish with the birdie on 18.
“You feel good about the round even though maybe I shouldn’t be.”
After shooting a respectable 2 under on Thursday’s opening day, Henderson ballooned to a 3-over-75 Friday on the 6,681-yard, par-72 Vancouver Golf Club course. That left her at 1 over and just on the line that made the cut.
Having her older sister Brittany caddie Saturday helped iron out some of the wrinkles in her round.
“She knows me probably better than I know myself sometimes,” said Henderson. “Someone that tells me what to do when I’m not playing well, and tells me what to do when I am keeping it on a roll, that’s really important.”
Henderson and her playing partner Sadena Parks, of Raleigh, N.C., were the first pair to tee off at 8:30 a.m. They still attracted a large gallery, most hoping to see the young, rising star in Canadian golf.
“It was a very early tee time, much earlier than I would have liked,” joked Henderson. “They (the crowd) were there pretty much from the get go, an amazing crowd.
“It makes it exciting being able to play in front of your home crowd. Even though you are not playing your best, you still have the whole country behind you.”
Henderson has been in the spotlight all week. She was granted her Tour card on Tuesday after becoming the youngest Canadian to win an LPGA or PGA event with her victory last weekend at the Cambia Portland Classic.
That produced extra attention from the media and more focus from fans. She attracted large crowds while playing and swarms of autograph seekers when stepping off the course.
The win in Portland moved Henderson to No. 17 in the world rankings and boosted her earnings over US$660,000.
Despite struggling at times Henderson said the week has been a learning experience and she’s looking forward to Sunday’s final round.
“There has been a lot of positives this week, which is always good,” she said. “I know I can take a lot from it and learn from it.
“I will just go out there and shoot a decent number and hopefully climb up the leaderboard a bit.”
Horsey stays in lead, 1 shot ahead of Pilkadaris
AALBORG, Denmark – David Horsey has a one-shot lead to take into the final round of the Made in Denmark tournament.
The Englishman hit a 3-under 68 Saturday to stay in the lead at 15-under 198.
Terry Pilkadaris of Australia hit a 6-under 65 to take second.
English duo Chris Paisley (66) and John Parry (69) are also in contention, tied for third on 11-under 202.
Horsey’s drive at No. 18 went into the trees but he found his ball and recovered well at the Himmerland Golf & Spa Resort.
Horsey started Saturday three shots clear of Parry and Australia’s Richard Green.
Candie Kung shoots 64 to lead Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
Coquitlam, B.C. (Golf Canada) – Candie Kung shot a bogey-free 64 to jump into the 36-hole lead at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
“I’ve been working pretty hard lately,” Kung admitted. “I guess it was a slump that I had back in 2010, 2011, I just got caught up in life a little bit. Now I feel like I can get back into it again, play some golf, have some fun.”
Kung started her day in style with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11, her first two holes of the day, and then added a tap-in eagle at the par-5 13th to take her score to 7-under for the tournament. Eight pars followed before Kung closed strong with birdies on four of her last six holes to post the low round of the tournament which also tied the course record.
“I just went out there, played one shot at a time, and I knew that I was putting pretty good,” Kung said. “I missed a few out there from about 10 feet. I was hitting them pretty close all day and then made some key putts coming in.”
The four-time LPGA Tour winner is coming off of her best finish of the year with a tie for second at the Cambia Portland Classic last week.
“I’ve been playing well,” Kung said of her recent strong play. “Just the putter has to go and so far, it’s been going pretty good the last six tournament days.”
Chasing Kung will be first round leader Karine Icher and 2012 and 2013 champion Lydia Ko, who each sit two shots back at 9-under par.
“I really don’t care who is behind me,” Kung said confidently. “I’m just going to go out there, play my one shot at a time. I’m hitting it good, I’m putting it good, and let’s see what happens.”
Seventy-six players made the cut at 1-over par 145. Notables to miss the cut included – Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie and Karrie Webb.
Alena Sharp heads into weekend action as the low Canadian after shooting even-par 72 to grab a share of 32nd. Sharp came to The Vancouver Club riding momentum from a top-10 finish last week in Portland. The Hamilton native, who made her first cut at Canada’s National Women’s Open Championship since 2009, fed off support from the Canadian crowd and looks forward to making a charge on the weekend.
“If you look around, there’s so many people here. The crowds are amazing and it’s always like that at the Canadian Open and everybody is always cheering for you. It’s that little extra pressure you put in your mind because you want to play well for the hometown crowd,” said Sharp. “I feel great. I haven’t made the cut at the Canadian Open I think since 2009, so it’s been a long time. I played well the last two days. Left some shots out there, but I have lots to look forward to on the weekend.”
Teenage sensation Brooke Henderson began the day with a share of 13th position at 2-under but stumbled Friday to a 3-over 75 to make the cut at plus-1 on the number. The Smith Falls, Ont., native acknowledged the extra expectation to perform in front of the home crowd and the need to channel that energy.
“It’s pretty cool that so many people are watching and wanting me to do so well. And I think it is a much different atmosphere than if I was playing across the border. Same conditions just different crowd,” said Henderson. “You know, it’s fun, though, and I have to really learn to enjoy it and just build off their energy, because it is pretty cool that they are cheering for me.”
Rounding out the Canadian contingent advancing to weekend play was Maude-Aimee LeBlanc. The Sherbrooke, Que., native shot a 1-under 71 Friday and sits tied with Henderson at 1-over for the championship.
Third-round action gets underway Saturday at 8:30 am PT with the final pairing teeing-off at 2:40pm PT. Tickets are still available at the gate and kids 17 and under are free.
Henderson struggles on second day of Canadian Pacific Women’s Open
COQUITLAM, B.C. – Brooke Henderson struggled with her putting and shot 3-over 75 during Friday’s second round at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.
The score left the 17-year-old at 1 over, hovering around the projected cut on the 6,681-yard, par-72 Vancouver Golf Club course.
“It wasn’t a great day out there but I ground it out pretty well,” said the Smiths Falls, Ont., native.
“I just missed some shots. Other than that it could have been good. I hung in there and really played well on the back nine.”
Henderson, who began the day on the 10th tee, had five bogeys, including back-to-back ones on No. 18 and No. 1. After finishing the No. 1 hole she walked off the green before the other two players in her group had finished.
Henderson battled back with a pair of birdies on the front nine. On the last hole of the day she had to chip onto the green, then sink a four-foot putt for par.
“It was a tricky up-and-down,” she said. “I played really smart with that chip and was happy to make that putt.”
It’s been a busy week for the teenager, who was granted her Tour card on Tuesday after becoming the youngest Canadian to win an LPGA or PGA Tour event with her victory last weekend at the Cambia Portland Classic.
Henderson has been dealing with extra media attention, playing before large galleries. When not facing a television camera she’s been surrounded by autograph seekers of all ages.
“It’s been busy,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of attention and a lot of things that I’ve had to do over the last couple of days.
“That is not an excuse for how I played today. Hopefully I will get used to all that attention because hopefully I will be winning more often.”
Henderson fed off the energy of a Canadian crowd that cheered her every shot.
“It’s pretty cool that so many people are watching and wanting me to do so well,” she said. “I think it is a much different atmosphere than if I was playing across the border. It’s the same conditions, just a different crowd.
“It’s fun. I have to really learn to enjoy it and just build off their energy. It is pretty cool that they are cheering for me.”
The win in Portland moved Henderson to No. 17 in the world rankings and boosted her earnings over US$660,000.
The Canadian Pacific Women’s Open has a purse of US$2.25-million, with the winner taking home US$337,500.
The tournament ends Sunday.
Woods claims share of lead at Wyndham after shooting 65
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Tiger Woods signed up for his first Wyndham Championship knowing a win would definitively keep his season from ending.
He’s halfway there.
Woods shot a 5-under 65 on Friday to share the second-round lead with rookie Tom Hoge.
“I’m only at the halfway point,” Woods said. “Only 36 holes. We’ve still got a long way to go.”
Woods and Hoge were at 11-under 129. Hoge shot a 67.
The sport’s biggest name put himself in prime position to contend for his first victory in more than two years, one that would send him into the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Woods followed his best round since 2013 – a first-day 64 – with one almost as good.
He made his big move up the leaderboard on the back nine, with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13 and an eagle on the par-5 13th that gave him a share of the lead.
“I just couldn’t get anything out of my rounds (before this tournament) and a couple lucky bounces here, take advantage of those opportunities – it’s just the flow,” Woods said.
Now he’ll spend Saturday playing with an unfamiliar rookie. When asked if he would recognize Hoge to see him, Woods responded: “No, I wouldn’t. What is it, or him?”
“I look on the Champions Tour leaderboard and I know every one of those guys because I played against them and I played with them,” Woods said. “Now I come out here, I don’t really know a lot of people.”
Davis Love III and Chad Campbell were a stroke back. Campbell shot 65, and the 51-year-old Love had 66.
Brandt Snedeker matched the tournament record with a 61 that put him in a group of six players two strokes behind Woods and Hoge.
But for the second straight day, the big story at Sedgefield Country Club was Woods.
He missed the cuts in the last three majors and hasn’t finished better than a tie for 17th at the Masters. At No. 187 on the FedEx Cup points list, he would definitely crack the top 125 with a win and qualify for the Barclays next week in New Jersey. Depending on how the math works out, a solo second-place finish also might be enough.
He took advantage of some prime scoring conditions during the first round, shooting that 64 on a course softened by showers that morning. That left him two strokes off the lead.
And then, playing under a hot afternoon sun that sped up those undulating greens, Woods almost matched it.
“I wasn’t quite as sharp as I was yesterday,” he said.
He capped that run of consecutive birdies with a 25-foot putt on the 13th that drew a mighty roar from the huge gallery.
Then came his eagle.
He placed his second shot about 10 feet behind the hole and, after his downhill putt fell into the hole, he followed with his trademark fist pump.
And as strong as his round was, it also easily could have been even better.
He settled for birdie on the par-5 fifth when his 10-foot eagle putt lipped out, then missed a 15-foot birdie putt on the next hole. He left a 10-foot birdie putt an inch from the hole on the ninth.
“I’ve shot 59 and I left a couple shots out there,” Woods said. “The great thing about golf, you can always get a little bit better.”
Love, a former University of North Carolina player whose two wins in the tournament came across town at Forest Oaks Country Club, played a practice round with Woods on Tuesday. Several times this week, Woods has referred to pointers Love gave him, notably
Love reeled off three straight birdies early in his round before closing with 10 straight pars.
“It will look boring on the card … but I made some nice putts for par, and some good up and downs, and kept the round together,” Love said.
Hoge, who was born about 70 miles away in Statesville but grew up in North Dakota, shared the first-round lead with William McGirt and two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton.
Hoge, who had two top-10 finishes in the past month, followed his opening-round 62 with another low number with birdies on three of his final five holes.
“Obviously, a new position for me,” Hoge said.
Snedeker – who won the Wyndham in 2007, its last year at Forest Oaks – shot just the fifth 61 in the history of the event and the first since Tim Herron three years ago.
He finished his round with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth holes, closing by sinking a 50-foot putt.
“I was trying to shoot 7 under in my mind, get back in the mix, and to shoot 9 (under) was definitely something I wasn’t expecting on the range this morning, but great to get it,” Snedeker said.
For some players, the priority was to earn enough points to qualify for the playoffs or keep their tour card for next year.
Luke Donald, at No. 124 on the points list, made the cut of 3 under. So did No. 129 Camilo Villegas – the defending champion – and No. 125 Charl Schwartzel.
For others, their bubbles burst: No. 131 Billy Hurley III, who came to Greensboro the day after his father’s funeral in an attempt to secure his card, shot a 70 and missed the cut.