Cameron Champ followed up his opening 63 with a 67 in spite of three bogeys and is tied for the lead at the Shriners Children’s Open.
“Got off to a great start, but still was kind of just — my swing really wasn’t there today. We kind of figured out at the end it was a ball position deal, kind of throwing my rhythm off, and I was, not forcing it, but kind of — it just didn’t feel right. But like I said, with the way I felt like I was hitting it, I was just able to score.
“Again, that’s the main thing. I feel like today I turned an even par, 1-under, at least coming down the stretch into a 4-under, which was crucial. Besides that, my game feels good. Off the tee, irons, everything felt great. It’s just one of those days in golf.”
Champ’s 130 total ties his lowest opening 36-hole score on the PGA Tour (2018 World Wide Technology Championship).
Fellow American Lanto Griffin carded a 66 featuring four consecutive birdies from the 1st unfortunately followed by a bogey at the 4th and shares the lead at 12-under.
He holds his first career 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour with his lowest opening 36-hole score.
“The goal today was to get a couple under. Anytime you shoot a good first round, you want to get one or two early and then it settles you down and you can keep pushing. That didn’t happen today, but I made a really good birdie on 16 and 18 to kind of settle me into the round and then birdied 1, 2, 3, 4 to turn, and then it was just kind of just get in a groove and ride it.
“A little frustrating not to birdie No. 9 and two par-5s, but I would have been extremely happy with 5-under to start the day. Yeah, two more days, and I like where I’m at.”
Following a runner-up finish at last week’s Sanderson Farms Championship, Sweden’s Henrik Norlander tied his career-low round on Tour with a second-round 64 and lies in solo third place at 11-under.
Canada’s Nick Taylor (67) and J.T. Poston of the USA (69) are tied in fourth place at 10-under.
American Lexi Thompson, making her PGA Tour debut, recorded a second-round 69, the third round in the 60s by woman on the Tour but failed to make the cut.
The FedExCup Fall is a group of tournaments played after the Tour Championship to help finalize eligibility for the 2024 PGA Tour season, as part of the return to a calendar-based schedule in 2024. All seven events will be played twice as part of the 2022-23 season.
Nos. 1-50 in the FedExCup standings through the Tour Championship are locked in their positions while Nos. 51 and beyond carry their FedExCup points into the Fall. Nos. 51-60 through the FedExCup Fall will qualify for two Signature Events in 2024: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Genesis Invitational.
