India's Anirban Lahiri compiled a five-under 66 that put him in the mix at the halfway stage of the Mayakoba Golf Classic here.
The 30-year-old, in his fourth season on the PGA Tour but still looking for his first win, had seven birdies, one more than his first round of 65, but he also gave away two bogeys.
Lahiri is now 11-under and tied third as Matt Kuchar extended his one-shot lead to two after 36 holes. Kuchar had a second successive 64 and is now 14-under, while Cameron Champ, who won recently and is going for his second win three weeks added a brilliant nine-under 62 to his first round of 68 and is now 12-under 130.
Lahiri, with six others -- Danny Lee, Kim Whee, Dominic Bozzelli, Patton Kizzire and Brian Gay -- are tied at 11-under in third place.
Lahiri had birdies on second and fifth before he dropped a shot on Par-5 seventh but a birdie on eighth meant he turned in two-under. A bogey on 10th saw him fall to one-under, before he birdied 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th holes without dropping any more for a 66.
Kuchar escaped his only big mishap on Friday with a 35-foot bogey putt on the 12th hole but he had eight birdies for a 7-under 64 that gave him a two-shot lead over PGA TOUR rookie Cameron Champ going into the weekend.
Kuchar is trying to end more than four years without a PGA TOUR victory.
Kuchar had five straight birdies on the front nine and that gave him the momentum he needed.
Champ winner at the Sanderson Farms Championship in Mississippi, was in full control as he missed only two fairways for the second straight day.
The cut was at 4-under 138 and missing it was Jordan Spieth. The three-time major champion missed the cut in his final event of the year after a 69. Spieth managed only eight birdies in good scoring conditions and will have the weekend off for the seventh time this year. He is due to get married over Thanksgiving weekend.
There are seven players at 11-under 131 including defending champion Kizzire, past Mayakoba champion Brian Gay and Lahiri, who has played in the last two Presidents Cups.
Eighteen players were within five shots of the lead. Rickie Fowler (68) and Tony Finau (65) were at 8-under 134, along with their Ryder Cup captain, Jim Furyk, who had a 65.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
