Austin Championship Round 2: Trace Crowe Clings to a One-Shot Lead as Darkness Wins Again

Two days, two sunsets, two unfinished rounds. The Austin Championship presented by Compliance Solutions still can't beat the dark, but Friday sorted out who the threats are. Trace Crowe leads at 13 under with two holes to play in the second round, one shot clear of Kevin Yu, whose second straight 66 set the clubhouse lead at 12 under on the Fazio Canyons Course at Omni Barton Creek.

Brian Harman and Kristoffer Ventura sit two back at 11 under after a 66 and a 67. Sami Valimaki, Jordan Smith and Erik van Rooyen are at 10 under, along with Neal Shipley, who is 6 under for the day with two holes left. When play was halted, 16 players were still on the course, per the PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab) and ESPN, and they will finish Saturday morning.

The Streak Finally Breaks

Crowe opened with a bogey-free 62, and our first-round recap has the comeback story behind it. The opening round was completed Friday morning with Crowe still two clear, and then the clean card kept going. Crowe went 32 holes without a bogey before the 15th finally bit back: a drive into the rough, an approach that flew well over the green and a par putt from outside 20 feet that missed, per the AP.

Crowe is 3 under through 16 on the day and will return Saturday morning facing a 55-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th, per the AP, with the par-5 18th still to come.

Yu Sets the Number

Yu walked in at No. 99 in the FedExCup Fall standings, per the PGA TOUR, and the top 100 after The RSM Classic keep full status for 2027. Yu answered with 66-66.

"If you think about it, it's definitely a lot of pressure," Yu said, per the AP. The plan is to keep the standings off the course. "If I just keep hitting good golf shots, the good golf is going to take care of itself," Yu said.

Harman, whose 2023 Open Championship win came with a five-year exemption, posted a 66 for 133. Ventura, whose status for next year is already locked up, per the AP, shot 67 to match Harman.

The Kids Are Still Here

Blades Brown, five days removed from winning in Los Cabos, nearly let Friday get away. Brown hit a drive into the trees to start the back nine and made double bogey, then followed it with a bogey, per the AP. Instead of sliding toward the cut line, Brown birdied three of the last five holes, including a 186-yard up-and-down at the 16th and a tee shot to 13 feet at the 17th, per PGA TOUR highlights, for a 70 and a share of ninth at 9 under.

Right there with Brown is the most fun story on the board. Miles Russell, the only amateur in the field, made five straight birdies on Friday and was 4 under for the round and 9 under for the tournament with three holes to play, per the AP. The 18-year-old Florida high school senior signed with Florida State on Wednesday and is now tied for ninth at a PGA TOUR event.

Movers and Fallers

Valimaki, Zach Bauchou and Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen all shot 66, and Jeffrey Kang is 6 under through 15 to reach 9 under. Jordan Smith, No. 62 in the race for the Aon Next 10 on Monday, per the PGA TOUR, went 67-67 and is tied for fifth. Nos. 51 to 60 after The RSM Classic earn spots in the first two Signature Events of 2027.

Van Rooyen and Max Greyserman, who both opened with 64s, managed a 70 and a 71. Jimmy Stanger finished a first-round 66 on Friday morning, then shot 78 in the second round to fall to even par. Austin Smotherman's bid for a third straight PGA TOUR win took a hit with a 71, leaving the Bermuda and Utah champion seven shots back at 6 under.

The Cut and the Bubble

The cut, top 65 and ties per Field Level Media, is not official. The PGA TOUR projects it at 4 under, and the AP expected 4-under 140. Hank Lebioda and Emilio Gonzalez are among the unfinished players sitting right on that number, while Patrick Fishburn and Alejandro Tosti are one outside it with three holes left.

Billy Horschel, No. 98 on Monday, and Max Homa, No. 61 in the Aon Next 10 race, are both sitting at 4 under after 71s. Homa's 168-yard approach set up a birdie at the 15th, per PGA TOUR highlights. Chandler Phillips, who entered the week holding No. 100 by less than half a point over Jason Day, is safely inside at 5 under.

Chris Kirk, who started the week at No. 102, shot 73-73 and was certain to miss, per the AP. Mackenzie Hughes (No. 103) and Taylor Pendrith (No. 104) are at 2 under and projected out, as is Luke Clanton, No. 126 in a tight fight for conditional status. Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Davis Thompson both finished at 3 under, one shot short of the projected line. Nick Dunlap shot 75 to drop to 1 under. Karl Vilips and C.T. Pan joined Seamus Power on the withdrawal list, per the leaderboard.

Saturday Starts Early

Crowe has a long putt and a par 5 to protect a one-shot lead, Russell has three holes to stay in the top 10, and a handful of players around 4 under will decide where the cut lands. Yu already knows what number to beat. The question is whether Crowe can keep the 62 from becoming the high point of the week.

Sources: PGA TOUR, Associated Press, ESPN, Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.