Stephan Jaeger signed for a 63 to reach 14-under on Saturday and take a one-shot lead at the Black Desert Championship in Utah.
“I started well the last couple days. It just kind of, it’s one of those golf courses when you get off to a good start, you can take your chances sometimes and be conservative on some shots,” said Jaeger.
“So obviously super happy with how I played. The two chip-ins on the back kind of obviously made this round from being good to great, so super happy with it. Game feels nice.
“I think they’re letting it get firmer for the weekend. I haven’t seen the wind so I’m not sure what the wind looks like this weekend, but definitely hit a drive through the fairway at 370, so you’ve got to slowly figure out where to hit drivers, where to lay back a little bit.”
This was Jaeger’s lowest round on Tour since the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (63/R4) and falls one shy of his career-best 62 during the final round of the 2022 Wyndham Championship. His 128 total marks the German’s career-best opening 36-hole score on Tour. He seeks a second win in his 150th start.
Jaeger advanced to the BMW Championship and finished at No. 43 in the FedExCup Standings. Nos. 1-50 in the FedExCup standings through the Tour Championship are locked in their positions and do not earn FedExCup points.
Canada’s Adam Svensson backed up his opening 60 with a 69 and moved down into a share of second place at 13-under alongside American Ben Kohles who closed with a 64.
“It’s difficult if you’re not hitting it well off the tee,” said Svensson. “The fairways are decently wide, but it’s just pretty much rocks if you miss the fairway. Pretty much lose your ball. The greens are tricky, getting faster, a lot of slope. So should be a good weekend.”
American Matt McCarty is at 12-under through 15 holes and in a four-way tie for fourth place. He made his Tour debut at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship (T63) after earning a Three-Victory Promotion from the Korn Ferry Tour this season,
He has already secured the No. 1 spot on the Korn Ferry Tour points list, which comes with a Tour card for the 2025 season and exemptions into The Players Championship and US Open in 2025.
Play was suspended due to darkness at 7:08 p.m. with 19 players left to complete the round. Play is scheduled to resume at 8:15 a.m. Saturday.
Related: Three-way tie for lead as play suspended in France
For the latest news in the golfing world, follow us on X.
