With slightly cooler temperatures and less wind than Thursday, professional golfers showed what they could do, especially in the morning session during the second round of the OccuNet Classic Presented by Amarillo National Bank as a part of the Korn Ferry Tour on Friday on the La Paloma layout at the Tascosa Golf Club.
On a day with many storylines, PGA Tour veteran Ryan Palmer was the biggest headline locally. Though Palmer came up short of making the cut for the weekend following a 78 on Thursday, the Amarillo High graduate had a much better Friday, shooting a 1-under par 69 with four birdies and two double bogeys.
What made the final moments of his round more special was Palmer birdied the final two holes and received a massive standing ovation from the Amarillo faithful coming up No. 18.
“This tournament was a lot of fun for me though it was hard to come back from Thursday,” Palmer said. “What a moment to not only birdie the final two holes but to get a standing ovation. That brought a tear to my eye and it meant the world. Amarillo is where I grew up, this is where all my friends are and this place helped make me who I am.
“It was a cool scene and very special. As for the round I played Friday, I’m heading to Italy and Germany to play soon and there is a lot of positive momentum I can take with me from this event.”
Palmer finished 7-over par for the two days.
Up and comer and the lone amateur in the field Wyatt Provence made it exciting for the massive gallery following Friday. The Randall graduate and University of New Mexico golfer was at 3-over par and was four shots away from making the weekend when the afternoon started.
Provence put together a tremendous performance Friday and was able to make the cut thanks to shooting a 3-under par 67. He started with a bogey at No. 4, but quickly recovered with a birdie on five and an eagle at No. 6.
On the back nine, Provence picked up a huge birdie on No. 13 that pulled him right on the cutline at even par on the day. Provence then made par the rest of the way and was able to push his way into Saturday and Sunday.
“It feels amazing,” Provence said. “Walking up on No. 18 felt unbelievable with all that support. My goal was to make it to this tournament and see what I can do against these guys. I hit the ball very well and I putted a lot better than Thursday.”
Provence was even greeted by mentor Palmer for a congratulations following his round.
“It meant a lot for him to come up to me,” Provence said. “We went to dinner Thursday night and we got to chat for a while and It’s great that he is supporting me.”
As for the rest of the field, Chan Kim took over as the lone leader heading into Saturday. Kim had an excellent afternoon thanks to a bogey free card. Kim tallied two birdies on the front nine, and three on the back side for a 5-under 65, to lead by a shot at 9-under.
“I switched to a new putter last week that has been working really well,” Kim said. “It’s rolling really well and it’s a little firmer and I feel more confident with it. I’m making a lot more putts than I usually do on top of hitting really solid shots. I’m happy to make the cut and continue to play well and I hope that carries into the weekend.”
There is a logjam behind Kim with one of those players being Travis Trace. Trace started the morning at even par, however, turned it on to shoot an 8-under 62 behind eight birdies.
“It was solid all around,” Trace said. “I was able to stay patient and birdie the par fives. I made a couple of putts when I needed to.
“Playing in the morning, there was some wind but nothing like Thursday. I was able to take advantage of the wind I did have and played really well.”
The low round of Friday belonged to one of the first golfers off the tee. Alvaro Ortiz had a rough finish Thursday going four over on his final six holes and was 2-over par.
Friday was a different story completely. Ortiz birdied his first seven holes while birding two of his final three holes for an eye-popping 9-under par 61.
“It was a good day,” said Ortiz, who has one career win on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I made a lot of good shots from the fairway and I had an incredible start. After that I played good golf and made some key puts and then made some key birdies two of the last three holes. I’m trying to keep it one shot at a time and playing like I did gave me a lot of confidence.
“I had a great talk with my dad and my girlfriend and that set me straight from Thursday. I lost my cool a little bit after the first round, and they helped get me refocused.”
Ortiz is currently in third at 7-under heading into Saturday.
Fan favorite John Daly II had the biggest following and by far didn’t disappoint. Daly struggled in his professional debut Thursday with a 4-over par 74, but after getting motivation from his legendary father Thursday night on a phone call, Daly II answered the challenge. Daly delivered by shooting a 6-under par 64 with seven birdies to make his first cut.
“I was very frustrated after Thursday’s round,” Daly II said. “I made two very bad double bogeys and I wanted to come back and play better golf. I was more aggressive Friday and was able to make some putts. The crowds have been big and they’ve been awesome. I called my dad after the round Thursday night and he told me just to calm down and go shoot a 64 and that’s exactly what I did.”
FOLLOW THE LEADERBOARD
For a look at Friday’s second round results and Saturday’s third round tee times, please visit https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/leaderboard
