Belgium’s Thomas Detry went on a late run and turned in a 7-under-par 64 Friday to grab the second-round lead before play was suspended due to darkness at the WM Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Thirteen players were still on the course after the announcement at 6:10 p.m. local time. The round will conclude Saturday morning.
Detry birdied three straight holes beginning at No. 9, went birdie-bogey at Nos. 13-14 and then grabbed the outright lead by playing the par-3 16th Stadium Hole at TPC Scottsdale to perfection.
He stuck his tee shot inside 3 feet of the pin and birdied to get to 11 under, adding one more at the par-4 17th.
Detry is two shots ahead of Michael Kim, who tied the low round of the day with a 63, and Alex Smalley, who posted a 65. Jordan Spieth (65), South Korea’s Tom Kim (66) and Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa (66) are right in the mix at 9 under.
Justin Thomas (68) is part of a group tied at 8 under, and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler improved on his first-round score by thee strokes, carding a 66 to get to 7 under.
Defending champ Nick Taylor of Canada (66) is at 6 under. First-round leader Wyndham Clark followed a 64 with a 2-over 73 to drop to 5 under, tied for 28th.
The projected cut line was 2 under par. Amateur Luke Clanton had a disappointing end to his second-round 67, as a missed birdie putt at No. 18 left him at 1 under for the tournament.
Had the Florida State golfer made the cut, he would have earned his 20th point in the PGA Tour University Accelerated standings and become eligible for a full PGA Tour membership.
Others on the wrong side of the cut line included Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (1 under), Billy Horschel (1 over), Max Homa (3 over) and last year’s runner-up Charley Hoffman (4 over).
Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo made a hole-in-one at the Stadium Hole, the 12th at the famed hole in Phoenix Open history. His shot dunked into the cup without a bounce, and the crowd celebrated by tossing beer bottles down from the grandstands.
It mattered for Grillo’s scorecard, too, as he made the cut on the number at 2 under following his 69.
–Field Level Media
