Charley Hoffman and Ryan Palmer fired ten birdies in modified alternate shot on Saturday for a 10-under 62, setting a new 36-hole record in the QBE Shootout. They hold a two-shot lead at 26-under.
"We were in a pretty good rhythm," said Hoffman. "We were giving ourselves birdie chances and we were knocking most of them in. The reality is we were just doing our thing. Obviously we saw the low scores, but that means there's birdies out there and we tried to attack them in and we did a pretty good job."
In modified alternate shot, both team members tee off on each hole, after which the team must select a ball to be used for the next stroke. The partners play alternately from the team’s second stroke on each hole until the ball is holed.
The previous low score for the first 36-holes at the QBE Shootout was 119 (-25), set by Jason Day/Cameron Tringale (2014) and matched by Harris English/Matt Kuchar (2020).
The second-round lead/co-lead has been converted into victory twenty times in 33 editions of the tournament, most recently in 2020 by Harris English/Matt Kuchar.
Tom Hoge and Sahith Theegala, both playing in the event for the first time, lie in second place at 24-under.
Three-time winners English and Kuchar also scored a 62 and are tied in third place at 22-under alongside Jason Day and Billy Horschel who closed with a 61.
