Bank of Utah Championship Round 2: Austin Smotherman Fires 62 in His 100th Start to Grab the Lead

Austin Smotherman has made 99 PGA TOUR starts without a win. Through two rounds of the 100th, the man has not given anybody a reason to bet against him.

Smotherman shot a 9-under 62 on Friday at Black Desert Resort, matching the lowest round of his TOUR career, and leads the Bank of Utah Championship at 17-under 125. Kevin Roy is one back at 16 under after a second straight 63. Doug Ghim (62) and Kevin Streelman (64) are tied for third at 15 under, and Stephan Jaeger (65) sits alone in fifth at 14 under. Darkness stopped play with three players still on the course, so the second round wrapped up Saturday morning.

Ten Birdies, No Drama

There was nothing loud about Smotherman's round, and that was the point. Ten birdies, three of them to finish the day per Field Level Media, built on the kind of ball-striking that makes a scorecard boring in the best possible way.

"It was just very steady, a lot of greens, a lot of fairways, a couple tight wedges," Smotherman said, per the AP.

That is how 62 happens at Black Desert. The course was handing out birdies again, and the leader simply took every one that was offered. Smotherman opened with a 63 on Thursday as part of a nine-way tie for second, and Friday he turned a crowd into a one-man show.

The résumé fits the moment. Smotherman has now shot 62 three times on TOUR, according to the AP, including once at the Cognizant Classic in February. That week is the only other time he has held a 36-hole lead this season, and it ended with a tie for second. He knows exactly how the next 36 holes can go, both ways.

Roy Keeps It Clean

The most impressive card on the board might belong to the guy in second. Roy is bogey-free through 36 holes, per Field Level Media, and his 126 total is five shots better than any 36-hole score of his career, according to the AP.

Roy came into the week at No. 87 in the FedExCup, which puts him in the uncomfortable neighborhood just inside the top-100 line. Asked what a good week would mean, Roy kept it simple.

"I think first and foremost keep a job," Roy said, per the AP.

That is the FedExCup Fall in one sentence. Roy also told the AP that it would be really nice to feel comfortable with a few events left instead of sweating every round down the stretch.

Ghim and Streelman Come Charging

Ghim matched the day's low score with a bogey-free 62, highlighted by a tee shot to 8 feet at the eighth that set up birdie, per PGA TOUR video. After a 65 on Thursday, Ghim jumped from three shots back into a share of third.

Streelman's story is the one with the most on the line. Field Level Media reported that Streelman entered the week 151st in the points race. The AP noted that Streelman, 47, was playing on a major medical exemption that expired at the previous event. A top finish here changes the whole winter.

"I would say right here I would like to attack and have nothing to lose," Streelman said, per Field Level Media.

Bauchou Cools Off

Thursday's leader came back to the pack. Zach Bauchou followed a career-low 62 with a 69, and at 11 under is six shots off the pace. A 69 is a perfectly fine round on most golf courses. On this one, on this Friday, it felt like standing still on a moving walkway.

The rest of the Thursday logjam scattered. Jaeger, one of the nine players at 63 on Thursday, kept pace with a 65 and sits alone in fifth.

Sweating the Number

The cut came in at 6-under 136, per the AP, and it was every bit as deep as that looks. Jackson Koivun, fresh off an unbeaten Presidents Cup debut, was outside the projected line until a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th dropped him onto the number with a 67.

"Obviously the cut got pretty deep at 6 (under) so I needed that birdie on 18," Koivun said, per Field Level Media.

Tony Finau was not as fortunate. The Utah native finished at 4 under and missed the weekend, per the AP and Field Level Media. Maverick McNealy, Lucas Glover, Max Greyserman and Cam Davis were among the players sitting a shot outside the projected cut when darkness fell Friday, per Field Level Media.

The Weekend Ahead

This is the second of eight FedExCup Fall events, and the stakes are the same as they were Thursday: top 100 in the standings keep full cards for 2027, and Nos. 51 to 60 get into the $20 million Signature Events at Pebble Beach and Riviera in February.

Smotherman has the lead, the low round and a 36-hole history that cuts both ways. Roy has a clean card. Ghim and Streelman have momentum. On a course this generous, a one-shot lead is a head start and nothing more, and Saturday will tell us who can keep making birdies when the pressure joins the party.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR tournament page (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap and AP story on pgatour.com), Field Level Media. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.