Myrtle Beach Classic Round 2: Hughes and Del Solar Share the Lead as the Wind Arrives

Thursday at The Dunes was a birdie buffet. Friday brought the wind, and with it the first real test of who could keep a scorecard together when the course stopped handing out gifts.

Mackenzie Hughes passed that test well enough. The first-round leader shot a 2-under 69 in the afternoon breeze to reach 10-under 132, and he will sleep on a share of the 36-hole lead at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. His company at the top is Cristobal Del Solar of Chile, who followed an opening 65 with a 67. Five players sit one shot back at 9 under: Harry Higgs, Davis Shore, Nick Watney, Danny Walker and Will Chandler. It is crowded, and nobody up there has any breathing room.

Hughes Grinds Instead of Glides

After a Thursday finish that featured four straight birdies, Friday was a different kind of round for Hughes. Four birdies, two bogeys, and a lot of work in conditions he described plainly. "I mean, it was blowing pretty good out there," Hughes said, per Golf Today. Hughes also said the course was playing quite tricky, and the scores backed that up.

The putter remained the separator. Through 36 holes Hughes ranked first in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, according to Golf Today, so the quicker, more instinctive routine he talked about on Thursday is still paying off.

"I'm in a good spot going into the weekend," Hughes said, per the AP. He also made it clear he knows exactly how many people are lined up behind him. "There's a bunch of guys there with a chance."

Del Solar Finds a Foothold

Del Solar is the less familiar name at the top, and that is part of what makes this week interesting. The Chilean came in with one top-25 finish on the season, a T12 at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, and this is Del Solar's first time leading or co-leading after 36 holes on the PGA TOUR.

The 67 had one wobble late. Del Solar, who played the back nine first, made bogey at the par-4 8th, then answered immediately with a birdie at the par-3 9th to close the round and tie Hughes. That kind of response matters on a windy day when one dropped shot can snowball.

"I've been putting in the work, playing good golf, feeling more comfortable," Del Solar said, per the AP. "Happy to be where I am."

The Five-Man Logjam

The group at 9 under might be the most entertaining collection on the board. Higgs and Shore each shot 66, two of the better rounds on a tougher day. Walker shot 67. Chandler, the rookie who opened with a bogey-free 64, steadied things with a 69.

Then there is Watney. The 44-year-old, who has not won in 13 years, added a 67 to Thursday's 66 and is right in the mix heading into the weekend. Contending again at this stage of a career is its own kind of win, but a one-shot deficit with 36 to play means the conversation does not have to stop there.

Norman Xiong posted the low round among the contenders, a 6-under 65, and sits alone at 8 under. Another shot back at 7 under is a group of six that includes Ryan Fox, who followed an opening 65 with a 70, along with Kevin Yu, Andrew Putnam, Patton Kizzire, Ben Silverman and Tim Widing.

Who Fell Back, and Who Went Home

Not everyone from Thursday's leaderboard handled the breeze. Seamus Power, whose hole-out eagle was the shot of the opening round, ballooned to a 76 and survived the cut right on the number at 2 under. Thorbjørn Olesen, who shared second after 18 holes, shot 72 and drops to 6 under, four back.

The cut fell at 2-under 140, and a few familiar names did not make it. Kevin Kisner and Jonathan Byrd missed by one at 1 under. Brandt Snedeker finished at 4 over and is out. On the other side of the line, 17-year-old Blades Brown and defending champion Chris Gotterup are both at 5 under and safely into the weekend, as is Gamecocks standout Nathan Franks.

Setting Up the Weekend

So here is the picture: two co-leaders with very different résumés, five players a shot back, and 14 players within three. Hughes is the proven closer of the bunch, with two PGA TOUR wins already. Del Solar is chasing a breakthrough. Watney is chasing a comeback.

With a PGA Championship spot available to a winner who is not already exempt and a two-year exemption on the line for everyone, Saturday is going to be about who can separate. Right now, nobody has.

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 has the Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab).

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

Photo: PGA TOUR.