ISCO Championship Round 2: Chan Kim Eagles No. 4 Again to Stretch His Lead to Five

Chan Kim found out Friday that a four-shot lead can disappear in a hurry. Then he found the same hole that saved him on Thursday.

Kim shot a 2-under 68 at Hurstbourne Country Club to reach 11-under 129 and carry a five-stroke lead into the weekend at the ISCO Championship. Kris Ventura (64), Vince Whaley (67) and Thomas Rosenmueller (69) are tied for second at 6-under 134. Eight more players are another shot back at 5 under. On a day when Kim's card wobbled, the margin he built on Thursday came out of Friday one shot bigger.

The Cushion Vanishes

Kim started on the back nine and opened with a birdie on the par-5 10th, which looked like more of the same. It wasn't. He bogeyed the 11th, bogeyed the 16th and then dropped another at the first after making the turn. Per Field Level Media, the four-shot buffer he slept on was gone, and for a stretch he was not even in front.

For a player who had missed six of his last seven cuts coming into the week, that is exactly the kind of slide that can turn a dream week into a familiar one. Kim did not let it.

No. 4, Again

The fix came at the par-4 fourth, the same hole where he holed a wedge from 123 yards for eagle on Thursday. This time Kim blasted a 333-yard drive that stopped just short of the green, then pitched in from 36 yards for a second straight eagle at the same hole.

"I don't know what the odds are of doing that," Kim said, adding that he would be very happy to make four 2s there this week.

That swing flipped his round. Kim added a birdie at the par-5 seventh and then chipped in from 35 feet for another at the par-4 eighth, going 4 under over his final six holes to push the lead back out to five.

"Just keep my foot down," Kim said. "The best I can do is handle myself the way I did when I won all those events and that's just to stay patient and play my game."

He has 10 of those events across the Japan Golf Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour. He also knows what is coming. Kim said he expects the field to come after him, and he noted that the course is not playing nearly as easy as his opening 61 suggested.

Ventura Turns a Double Into a 64

The best story behind Kim was Ventura. The Norwegian made a double bogey at the fourth, the same hole Kim was busy owning, and added a bogey on the front nine. Then he simply stopped making mistakes, rattling off four birdies on that side and five more coming home for a 64 that tied David Skinns for the low round of the day.

"I think the highlight would have been just turning it around after the double bogey on 4," Ventura said, per Field Level Media. Ventura added that an earlier version of himself would have let the double ruin the day.

Whaley's 67 and Rosenmueller's 69 kept both of them in the tie for second.

The 5-Under Logjam

The group at 5 under is where this tournament gets deep. Skinns matched Ventura's 64. Zac Blair (66) and Rico Hoey (67) are there, two of the players Harry Hall beat in last year's playoff at Keene Trace. Kevin Kisner (69), Nick Hardy (68), Callum Tarren (68), Paul Peterson (68) and Beau Hossler (68) round it out. Peter Malnati slipped back with a 71 but is still in the top 15 at 4 under, alongside Steven Fisk, Cameron Champ, Taylor Montgomery and Hayden Springer.

The Cut and the Kid

The cut fell at 1-over 141, and the most fun climb belonged to Jackson Koivun. The Auburn junior opened with a 73, then shot 66 Friday to get to 1 under and well inside the number. Emiliano Grillo is also at 1 under after following his 67 with a 72.

A handful of names are in for the weekend but need a big Saturday to matter. Gordon Sargent, Callum Shinkwin and William Mouw all sit at even par, 11 back. Kentucky native J.B. Holmes, here on a sponsor exemption, went 74-72 and missed the cut.

Five Shots, 36 Holes

A five-shot lead with 36 holes to play is a strong hand, but Friday showed how quickly it can come apart at Hurstbourne. Kim gave back three shots in a nine-hole stretch and still walked off with a bigger lead than he started with, which is the kind of round leaders talk about later. The weekend will test whether the guy who keeps holing out on No. 4 can keep the rest of the card that steady, with 300 FedExCup points, a two-year TOUR exemption and a trip to next year's PGA Championship waiting for the winner.

Catch up on how Thursday unfolded 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, Field Level Media, ESPN. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.