If history says anything about the Coors Tournament of Champions, it says Luke Kane is walking in some pretty sweet golf shoes after Friday’s round.

Kane reached the midway mark of the 31st Annual TOC holding a five-stroke lead over defending champ Max Mitchell and 2024 TOC runner-up Stewart Dodson.

Kane shot a 1-under 71 Friday in windy conditions on the Tascosa Course side of the Tascosa Golf Club, finishing the midway mark as the only one of the 11 golfers in red numbers for the tourney at 5-under par.

Mitchell and Dodson each sit at even par, followed by Ian Ansett at one-over. Ansett is playing in his first-evert TOC and fired the low round of the day, a 4-under 68 which featured six birdies on his card.

Kane had opened the TOC Thursday with an impressive 4-under effort at Amarillo Country Club leaving him with a four-stroke lead on the field heading into Friday.

Kane’s round Friday was up and down a bit as he fired off five birdies, then adding four bogeys on his card. But like he shown throughout his two days of play, Kane is on to the next as he produced three bounce-back birdies following bogeys on holes Nos. 3,11 and 15 on Friday.

“All three of those were critical,” Kane said. “I can’t keep my scorecard clean and today wasn’t my best stuff. But I managed to scrap it around there for 1-under par. I was able to extend my lead so you can look at through two prisms. One, I didn’t play my best golf but on the other hand my lead got bigger.”

 Here’s where history comes in.

Over the past 10 TOC, eight of those 10 players leading at midway mark – including Kane in 2018 – went on to capture this prestigious tourney featuring the best of the best golfers in the 806 over the summer of 2025.

Kane knows with Amarillo’s two muni courses coming up the next two days, a lot of work remains.

“Nobody really played great today because it was hard out here,” Kane said. “So I’m happy where I am at. As far as this weekend it’s the city courses and you are going to go make some birdies, right. There can’t be none of this bogey stuff.”

Defending TOC champ Mitchell, a former Canyon High star, has not played as much golf this summer as in his previous years because of work and home-improvement obligations.

Mitchell opened with a 2-over par effort at ACC on Thursday, then closed strong Friday with a birdie on 18 making a five-foot slider of a putt for a 2-under effort.

“It does seem like I’m getting a little bit of the rust off,” Mitchell said. “I hit the ball a lot better today. Just got to get the putter going. I had a lot of good looks just didn’t make them. So there’s still some rust on the putter.”

Mitchell knows with 17-time TOC veteran Kane holding a five-stroke lead he will have to have the pedal to the metal to catch him.

“Luke’s playing good, obviously,” Mitchell said. “Somebody has to play really good to catch up with him. We will just have to see what    happens.”

Dodson shot a 1-under 71 on Friday at TCC, saving his round with an eagle 3 on No. 17 and getting back to even for the overall tourney. The former Oklahoma State golfer will certainly be one to watch over the weekend as he is no stranger of how to succeed in the TOC with runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2022.

The most intriguing round of the day was put up by the popular and entertaining Amarillo native Zack Norrell. Norrell, a two-time TOC champion in 2010-11, opened the day 10 shots back of leader Kane. He double bogeyed the first hole, but was a birdie-machine over the next 17 holes recording seven birdies.

However, a hiccup on the short 321-yard par 4 No. 15 derailed Norrell’s chance to make a statement as he triple bogeyed the hole.

Overall, Norrell sits tied in eighth at 4-over with Kent Neal (who had a strong 2-under effort on Friday at TCC).

The 11 golfers head over to Comanche Trail Golf Complex on Saturday, then close things out Sunday crowning a TOC champion at the Ross Rogers Golf Complex.

Check out the results

For a look at the leaderboard and all the Coors Tournament of Champions information, please visit: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/11895165198715105233

Photo gallery by Carter Pirtle: