Canadian Taylor Pendrith fired a 7-under 64 on the second day of action at the 3M Open in Blaine, Minn., to take a two-shot lead Friday.
Now 12 under for the tournament, Pendrith built off a first-round 66, pocketing birdies on Nos. 4 and 7 before catching fire on the back nine. He finished with three birdies over his final four holes and had seven birdies on the day.
Matt NeSmith, who matched Pendrith’s round with a 7 under on his own scorecard, is now his closest pursuer at 10 under for the tournament.
Andrew Putnam sits a stroke behind in third at 9 under after scoring a 5-under 66.
NeSmith’s day included an eagle on the par-5 12th hole. He added birdies on Nos. 1, 2, 6, 14 and 16.
Putnam’s day didn’t feature such highs as NeSmith’s, but he did grab five birdies of his own.
Rookie Jacob Bridgeman, who led after a first-round 63, fell into a tie for third with Putnam after finishing with a 1-under 70. His day included two bogeys and three birdies, with two of his birdies coming over his last four holes.
Three golfers are tied for fifth at 8 under: Doug Ghim (7-under 64), Lanto Griffin (5-under 66) and Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas (5-under 66).
Sahith Theegala (69), the event’s highest ranked player in the FedEx Cup standings at No. 7 and world rankings at No. 11, fell into a tie for ninth with eight other golfers at 7 under.
–Field Level Media
