Andrew Novak went 5 under par over the final six holes on Friday to grab a three-shot lead halfway through the VidantaWorld Mexico Open in Vallarta, Mexico.
Novak posted a 10-under-par 61, the round of the tournament so far, to move to 14-under 128. Tied at 11 under are amateur Kihei Akina (second-round 64), Ben Griffin (67), Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (66), Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart (67) and Japan’s Kensei Hirata (68).
Gordon Sargent (65), Max Greyserman (67), Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (67) and Englishman Marco Penge (68) share seventh place at 10 under.
Novak was one of several players to eagle the par-4 13th hole, which played at just 296 yards Friday. He drove the green and converted a 12-foot eagle putt, then seized the lead from Griffin with three long birdie putts.
Novak drained a 17 1/2-footer at the par-3 15th, a 16 1/2-footer at No. 16 and a 21-footer at No. 18. Not too shabby for a player who has consistently ranked near the bottom of the PGA Tour in putting.
The 31-year-old said he has been using an old putter this fall after cycling through several newer options.
“I got very frustrated with that, every single week being told that there’s nothing wrong with my putting and then just being dead last,” said Novak, whose lone PGA Tour win came alongside Griffin at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team event in 2025.
“So went in the closet and dug out a putter that I used for a long time back in the day. It’s rusted out, it’s old, but I know it works. I don’t know loft on it, I don’t know the lie on it, but for the last four tournaments I’ve done pretty well making putts. So I think maybe I was just overthinking some things and yeah, I’ve just gone back to hitting putts.”
Novak entered the tournament No. 89 in the FedEx Cup Fall points standings, and a win would vault him to a projected No. 53. The top 100 players at the end of the fall retain full status on tour, and finishing Nos. 51-60 grants players access to the first two signature events of 2027.
“Yeah, look, there’s a pretty bunched leaderboard,” Novak said. “I separated a little bit, but we’re halfway there, there’s so much golf to play. 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.”
Akina also eagled the short 13th hole with a 15-foot putt, and he drained another key putt from 28 1/2 feet away for birdie at No. 18.
Akina, 20, has gotten five starts on tour this season and made the cut at all five. Just this month, he placed ninth at the Bank of Utah Championship and tied for 17th at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
“I think I’m feeling more comfortable with each round played,” Akina said. “This is my first time going from an event to another event, so back to back, it’s a little bit different for me in that aspect. Yeah, I feel like every new tournament, every new round is a learning experience for me, and this one here was a really great experience for me so far.”
First-round leader Karl Vilips of Australia followed his red-hot round of 62 with a 3-over 74 to drop back to 6 under for the tournament, tied for 34th.
Defending champion Brian Campbell carded a 68 on Friday and is tied for 26th at 7 under.
Notable names in line to miss the 4-under-par cut line included Tony Finau (3 under), Canadian Taylor Pendrith (2 under), Wyndham Clark (even par) and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard (even).
–Field Level Media
