Beau Hossler followed his opening 61 with a 3-under 67 on Friday, reaching 12-under 128 and retaining a one-shot Wyndham Championship lead through 36 holes.

Ben James and England’s Jordan Smith share second at 11-under, with all three players seeking their first PGA Tour victory at Sedgefield Country Club. Hossler’s closing 11-foot birdie secured the outright lead entering Saturday.

Hossler began the final regular-season event at No. 122 in the FedExCup standings and must win to qualify for next week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship, where the top-70 will begin the playoffs.

His projected position has risen to No. 53 based on the current leaderboard.

“Try and win a golf tournament,” Hossler said. “That’s all there is to it.”

Hossler Faces Another Conversion Test

Hossler is holding his seventh 36-hole lead or co-lead in an individual stroke-play event. He has converted none of the previous six, most recently finishing second at the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship.

The 31-year-old entered this week with 251 PGA Tour starts without a victory, the third-highest total among active players. He has recorded one top-10 finish from 18 starts this season, a tie for third at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic.

Sedgefield has produced some of his better recent results. Hossler tied for 12th in 2024 after opening with a 60, then finished tied for 15th last year. Brandt Snedeker in 2018 remains the most recent wire-to-wire Wyndham champion.

Thirteen players are within three shots of the lead, and only three players in that group have previously won on the PGA Tour. The Wyndham has produced 23 first-time winners, including three of its past four champions.

James and Smith Stay One Shot Back

James, the No. 1 player in the PGA Tour University Ranking, began his second round by holing a 50-degree wedge from 109 yards for eagle at the par-4 10th. He signed for a 67 and is the only player in the field with three eagles through two rounds.

The rookie has made seven cuts in eight starts as a professional. He also held the halfway lead in his professional debut at the Canadian Open before rounds of 77 and 69 left him tied for 54th.

Smith moved alongside James by shooting 64. The Englishman has eagled the par-5 5th hole in both rounds and entered the week at No. 68 in the FedExCup standings. His best finish in 38 Tour starts was third at the 2026 Valspar Championship.

A win for either player would make him the first Wyndham debutant to claim the title since Tom Kim in 2022.

Bradley Makes the Cut

The cut fell at 3-under 137, advancing 80 professionals and amateur Kihei Akina. Keegan Bradley reached that number by birdieing three of his final six holes for a 67, keeping alive his attempt to qualify for a 16th consecutive postseason.

Jordan Spieth also survived on the number after driving into trees at his final hole. He punched back into the fairway, hit his approach 25 feet beyond the flag and converted the par putt.

Jason Day missed the cut at 4-over, ending his run of 18 consecutive FedExCup Playoffs appearances. Mac Meissner, who started the week at No. 71, made double bogey at his final hole and missed the weekend by one.

Defending champion Cameron Young birdied four of his final eight holes to make the cut at 3-under. Brooks Koepka shot 66 to reach 7-under, but needs no more than three players to finish ahead of him to advance to the playoffs.

With a missed cut @WyndhamChamp, Jason Day's record streak of 18 straight FedExCup Playoffs berths will come to an end.

Day made the FedExCup Playoffs as a PGA TOUR rookie in 2008, and the run extended for each year until now.

"It was a good streak obviously, but I would have… pic.twitter.com/RlL6qXS9wR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 8, 2026

Related: Anna Huang Leads PIF London Championship as Charley Hull Shoots Record 62

The 17-year-old Canadian holds a one-shot halfway advantage at Centurion Club after Hull matched the lowest round in Ladies European Tour history.

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