VidantaWorld Mexico Open Round 2: Andrew Novak's Putter Wakes Up for a 61 and a Three-Shot Lead

For about eight months, Andrew Novak's putter was the reason good rounds turned into forgettable ones. On Friday at Vidanta Vallarta, the putter was the reason a good round turned into a 61.

Novak shot a 10-under 61 in the second round of the VidantaWorld Mexico Open to get to 14-under 128 and take a three-shot lead into the weekend. The 61 matched his PGA TOUR low. Five players are tied for second at 11 under: Ben Griffin (67), amateur Kihei Akina (64), Matthieu Pavon (66), Adrien Dumont de Chassart (67) and Kensei Hirata (68). First-round leader Karl Vilips came back to earth with a 74.

The Card

Novak's scorecard read nine birdies, one eagle and one bogey, and the round turned in the middle of the back nine.

The eagle came at the par-4 13th, where Novak drove the green and rolled in a 12-footer to grab a share of the lead. Two holes later came the swing that changed the shape of the leaderboard. Griffin drove into the water at the par-4 15th and made bogey. Novak holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet. Two shots moved in one hole.

From there Novak kept pressing. Novak made three birdies over the last four holes, capped by a 21-foot putt on the 18th, and walked off with a three-shot lead that felt bigger given how the round finished.

The Putter Story

The most interesting part of Friday was not the number. It was Novak's honesty about how he got here.

Novak said he had been "truly one of the worst putters" on the PGA TOUR for about eight months, per the AP.

"I turned a bunch of 66s and 67s into 69s and 70s and that doesn't really get it done out here," Novak said. "I think the putter I put in at Wyndham has actually shown up, and my game never left, it's still there. Now when I actually am putting decent, it's turning into good results."

That tracks. According to the AP, Novak's ball-striking stats look a lot like last year, when Novak reached the TOUR Championship. The difference has been on the greens. When those putts drop, this is what it looks like.

Novak also kept things in perspective. "I separated a little bit, but we're halfway there. There's so much golf to play," Novak said. "I'm going to have to go out and keep hitting a bunch of fairways. If I'm hitting my irons like this, I'm going to be able to give myself a lot of opportunities."

Why the Lead Matters

Novak arrived in Mexico at No. 89 in the FedExCup Fall standings. That is inside the top 100 that keeps full status for 2027, but not by enough to relax, and well short of where a player who made the TOUR Championship a year ago expects to be. Novak won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Griffin in 2025, but that was a team title. He has 36 holes to try to add an individual one.

The Kid From BYU

Akina is the name that should grab casual fans. The 20-year-old BYU sophomore shot 64 to tie for second, and it was his ninth round of 67 or better in his last four PGA TOUR starts. That is not a fluke run. That is an amateur playing like he belongs.

Pavon and Dumont de Chassart kept steady pace, and Hirata, who opened with a 63, added a 68 to stay right in it. After sharing the 36-hole lead in Bermuda last week, Hirata is in the mix again with a chance to make a real dent in the No. 170 standing he brought into the week.

The Cut and the Casualties

Scoring was so friendly that the field averaged about 2 under par through two rounds, and the cut fell at 4-under 138.

That number caught some big names. Wyndham Clark, the U.S. Open champion and the only top-10 player in the world in the field, shot 73 and missed the weekend. Tony Finau shot 71 and missed by one after his 6-foot birdie try on the final hole slid by.

Vilips survived after following his 62 with a 74 and sits at 6 under, eight behind Novak.

Home Hope

Alvaro Ortiz is the low Mexican heading into the weekend. Ortiz absorbed a double bogey at the 18th, which was his ninth hole of the day, then steadied for a 68 to sit at 9 under, five back. Ortiz will have a full PGA TOUR card next year after finishing in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour, and a big weekend in front of a home crowd would be a perfect warmup.

Saturday Setup

A three-shot lead on a course this generous is not much of a cushion. Novak acknowledged as much, saying he might not make as many putts on Saturday. But the formula he described, fairways and irons and a few putts, has carried him to the top through 36 holes.

Behind him, five players at 11 under, four more at 10 under, and a deep pack at 9 under are all close enough to make Saturday interesting. The question is whether anyone can keep pace with a player who has finally found his putter.

Catch up on Thursday in our Round 1 recap. The PGA TOUR's Round 2 recap (opens in a new tab) has more.

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

Photo: PGA TOUR.