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Hossler takes narrow lead at Sanderson Farms Championship

football05 October 2024 04:23| Ā© Reuters
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Beau Hossler drained a long eagle putt down the stretch on his way to an 8-under-par 64 on Friday, earning himself a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Miss.

Hossler is 15-under 129 through two rounds at the Country Club of Jackson, with Daniel Berger on his tail after carding back-to-back rounds of 65.

Englishman David Skinns, who shot a 60 on Thursday after narrowly missing a chance for a 59, settled for a 1-under 71 in the second round. He's tied for third at 13-under with Jacob Bridgeman (66) and Keith Mitchell, who shot the only other 64 of the day.

Hossler bogeyed his opening hole of the day, the par-3 10th, before immediately making up for it with three straight birdies and five in all on the back nine. After converting another birdie at No 3, he reached the green in two at the par-5 fifth hole and drained his 31-foot look at eagle.

One last birdie, a 15-footer at No 8, got him to 15 under.

"All in all, ball's been in the fairway or close and on the green or close, and I've putted pretty well," Hossler said. "I've read the greens pretty well from seven to 20 feet. (Friday) I even got a long one to go, so very solid. Pleased. Just hoping to do two more."

The 29-year-old is still in search of his first PGA Tour victory. He would also get a massive boost in the FedEx Cup Fall standings ā€“ a projected jump from No 87 to 56 if he holds on to win, which would put him in the 51-60 range and qualify him for the first two signature events of 2025.

He'll have to shoot even lower to fend off the pack at a low-scoring golf tournament like this.

"When you get these shootout golf tournaments, I think it's really important to stay focused on the present, and likely you're going to have a lot of opportunities in front of you; try not to force that one to go in right now," Hossler said. "Easier said than done."

Berger is bogey-free through 36 holes and rolled in five birdies on his last eight holes Friday to charge up the leaderboard. The four-time winner on tour was ranked as high as No 12 in the world but hasn't won a title since 2021 and missed extensive time to rehab a back issue.

"I think it's kind of a process," Berger said of his recovery. "You're working every day to get 1 per cent better, 1 per cent better, and then you got to a point where you don't have to think about it or worry about it and that's kind of where I am now."

Mitchell's 64 featured a whopping nine birdies and a single bogey late in the day. He ranked third in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the round.

"Made a lot of putts," Mitchell said. "You know, my caddie, Brad (Schneider), known me forever, gave me a little pep talk I think it was Wednesday afternoon about the putter, and it worked. He knows me too well. It showed."

The cut line landed at 6 under par. Notable names who missed the cut included Zach Johnson (2 under), Matt Kuchar (2 under), Harris English (even par) and Colombia's Camilo Villegas (1 over).

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