Cognizant Classic Round 2: Austin Smotherman Grinds Out a 69 and Stretches the Lead

Thursday was the fireworks. Friday was the follow-through, and Austin Smotherman passed that test too.

Smotherman shot a 2-under 69 at PGA National to reach 11-under 131 and carry a three-shot lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches. Taylor Moore posted a second straight 67 and sits alone in second at 8 under. A.J. Ewart, with the round of the day at 64, and Nico Echavarria, who slipped to a 72, share third at 7 under. Joel Dahmen is fifth at 6 under, and a seven-player pack sits at 5 under.

Grinding Instead of Gliding

This was not a 62 sequel. The breeze was up, Smotherman's iron play was not as sharp as on Thursday, and the round asked for patience more than flair. The putter bailed things out again. Smotherman gained more than two strokes on the field on the greens, according to CBS Sports.

The signature moment came late. At the par-3 17th, the heart of the Bear Trap, Smotherman poured in a birdie putt from more than 50 feet. On a hole where most players are thrilled with a two-putt par, that is how a one-shot lead becomes three.

For a player who entered the week without a TOUR win in 81 starts and with a missed cut in the only previous visit to this event, 36 holes in the lead is new territory. The scoreboard says Smotherman belongs there.

Moore Keeps Stacking 67s

Moore has been the quiet story. Back-to-back 67s at PGA National is the kind of steady golf that rarely makes a highlight package and often ends up on the trophy engraving list. Moore was part of Thursday's crowded pack at 4 under and now owns sole possession of second.

Echavarria went the other way. The Colombian started the day one back after a bogey-free 63, found tougher conditions on Friday and signed for a 1-over 72. It cost a spot and some ground, but at 7 under and four back, Echavarria is still right in the picture.

Ewart's Day

The low round belonged to A.J. Ewart, who jumped from 0 under to 7 under with a 64. The highlight came at the 15th, the first leg of the Bear Trap, where Ewart hit a 163-yard tee shot to 6 feet and converted the birdie. Ewart played college golf at Barry University, about 90 minutes from the course, and said years of watching this course on television made it feel familiar. It played that way.

Koepka Fixes the Putter

The other headline was Brooks Koepka, who cut eight shots off Thursday's 74 with a 5-under 66 to get to 2 under and comfortably inside the number. The ball striking was not the reason. Koepka hit only six of 14 fairways. The six birdies, four more than on Thursday, came from a putter that finally cooperated. Koepka arrived at PGA National ranked 171st in strokes gained: putting, then holed more than 131 feet of putts on Friday, the most in the field, and gained nearly four strokes on the greens, per CBS Sports. A 33-footer at the 12th was the best of them.

Koepka credited a setup tweak to hand position and made it clear that simply surviving to the weekend was not the goal.

"I hit it a lot worse today," Koepka said, per the AP. "If I'm out here to try to make cuts, I'm probably done," Koepka added.

Ben Silverman matched Koepka at 2 under with a 67. Silverman got into the field as an alternate when Will Zalatoris withdrew on Thursday with an ankle injury and landed in a group full of major winners.

The Cut and the Chase Pack

The cut fell at even-par 142 after a late Friday shift from 1 over, and 67 players made it. Webb Simpson, Gary Woodland, Chris Kirk, Matt Kuchar, Luke Clanton, Stephan Jaeger and Michael Thorbjornsen were among those heading home.

Shane Lowry, a regular contender at this event, climbed into the group at 5 under with a 67, joined by Aaron Rai, Mark Hubbard, Hank Lebioda, Kristoffer Reitan, Pontus Nyholm and Jimmy Stanger. Max Homa is at 3 under after gaining more than three strokes on approach, per CBS Sports.

Weekend Weather, Weekend Pressure

The forecast has already changed the plan. Saturday's tee times were moved earlier because of expected weather in South Florida, which could make the third round a race against the clouds as much as the course.

Smotherman has the cushion and the hot putter. Moore has the consistency, and Echavarria has already shown a 63 is in the bag. With 11 players within six shots, a three-shot lead at PGA National is a head start, not a guarantee.

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

Sources: PGA TOUR (Round 2 recap and leaderboard), AP, Golf Channel, CBS Sports, Golf Today. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.