WM Phoenix Open Round 2: Thomas Detry Hits Every Green and Grabs Control

Thomas Detry spent Friday at TPC Scottsdale playing a different sport than everyone else. Eighteen holes, 18 greens. That is not a hot putter or a lucky bounce. That is a ball-striker in total control.

Detry shot a 7-under 64 to reach 12-under 130 and take a two-shot lead into the weekend at the WM Phoenix Open. Michael Kim, who fired a bogey-free 63, and Alex Smalley (65) are tied for second at 10 under. Jordan Spieth, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Tom Kim are another shot back at 9 under, and Justin Thomas sits in a pack at 8 under. First-round leader Wyndham Clark slid back with a 73.

Every Green, Every Time

The stat that tells the story of Detry's round is the one that rarely gets mentioned on a TV graphic. Detry hit all 18 greens in regulation, the first time that has happened in 241 career TOUR rounds. Through 36 holes, he has missed one green out of 36, which ties the most at this event through two rounds, matching Matthew NeSmith last year.

The birdies followed. Detry made eight of them against a lone bogey on the 490-yard 14th, the brute of the back nine. A birdie on the ninth kicked off a run of three in a row, and the loudest moment came at the par-3 16th, where he nearly aced the stadium hole and tapped in from 2 feet. His 130 is a career low for 36 holes.

"I've been very comfortable on the greens this week," Detry said.

Detry, a two-time Olympian for Belgium, has led or co-led after 36 holes on the PGA TOUR twice before and has not closed either one out. This is his first solo halfway lead. The first win is the one missing piece on a résumé that already says he belongs.

Michael Kim's Back-Nine Blitz

Kim was the other headline. After an opening 69, Kim went bogey-free for a 63 and saved the best for last, coming home in 6-under 30 with four straight birdies to finish. For a player who won the 2018 John Deere Classic and had missed the cut in two of his first three starts this season, it was a statement.

Smalley matched him at 10 under with a 65 that had a little bit of everything. Smalley made four birdies in a five-hole stretch starting at the second, rolled in a 6-footer for eagle on the par-5 13th and gave one back on the par-5 15th after finding the water with his second shot. Coming off a missed cut at Torrey Pines, Smalley is in his best 36-hole position on TOUR since the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.

Spieth Finds the Fast Lane

Spieth's 65 might have been the most encouraging round on the board for the people who just want to see him healthy. In his second start since offseason wrist surgery, he made eagle from 5 feet on the 13th and from 11 feet on the 15th, then added a birdie on 17 after missing the green just right on the short par 4. Last week he tied for 69th at Pebble Beach. This week he is three back.

Bezuidenhout joined him at 9 under with a bogey-free 66 that included an eagle on that same drivable 17th. Tom Kim, fresh off a tie for seventh at Pebble Beach, also shot 66.

Scottie Scheffler quietly cleaned up his act. After a chaotic opening 69, the world No. 1 went bogey-free for a 66 to get to 7 under, five behind Detry. Thomas shot 68 and stuck his tee shot on the 16th to 3 feet. Min Woo Lee jumped into the mix with a 66 of his own to reach 6 under.

Beer Rain at 16

No round at TPC Scottsdale is complete without the 16th, and Emiliano Grillo delivered. Grillo's tee shot on the par 3 bounced around the cup and dropped for an ace, and the grandstands answered with the only beer shower of the day. Tournament officials have tried to rein in flying drinks since aces by Sam Ryder and Carlos Ortiz in 2022 turned the hole into a brewery. The fans did not get the memo, and nobody seemed upset about it.

Cut Day Fallout

Darkness hit again, stopping play at 6:10 p.m. with eight players still on the course, and they finished their rounds Saturday morning. When it was all settled, the cut fell at 2 under, and some big names were heading home early. Matt Fitzpatrick missed by a shot at 1 under, and Max Homa and Billy Horschel also missed the weekend. Rickie Fowler and J.J. Spaun withdrew. Clark's 73 dropped him to 5 under, and Lee Hodges, who was one back after Thursday, followed a 65 with a 74.

Weekend Outlook

Two shots is a real lead, but at TPC Scottsdale it can vanish in the time it takes to play 13 through 17. There are two reachable par 5s and a drivable par 4 in that stretch, which is exactly where Spieth and Bezuidenhout made their eagles on Friday. The chasers know where the birdies are.

What Detry has is the most reliable thing in golf: he keeps hitting greens. "The fairways are kind of the key," he said. If that holds into the weekend, the rest of the field will need something special to reel him in. Moving day at the loudest party in golf is next.

Need a refresher? 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.

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

Photo: PGA TOUR.