Pierceson Coody shot a five-under 67 to maintain a two-shot lead at the PGA Tour's ISCO Championship in Nicholasville, Kentucky, on Friday.
Coody, who started the day with a three-shot lead after a stellar 61 on Thursday, shot a five-under 67 with six birdies and one bogey at Keene Terrace Golf Club.
He finished with a 16-under total of 128, two strokes ahead of Belgium's Matthis Besard, American veteran Chez Reavie and Filipino Rico Hoey.
When Coody teed off, a host of early starters were already entering the clubhouse at 13 under.
He teeed off on the 10th and rolled 21 feet from the fringe on the 17th for his third birdie of the day to regain the lead.
But he lost the ball after a bad tee shot and took bogey on the next hole.
Coody, a three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner who is seeking his first PGA Tour title, regained the lead with a birdie on the fifth hole, then pulled away with an 8-foot birdie on the seventh and a 5-foot birdie on the eighth.
“It’s not as good as 61, but 67 is still a very good score,” said Coody, who added that limiting the loss to 18 shots was crucial.
“When I knew my score was low, it meant a lot to me because I needed to get three, four, five birdies on the back nine to get to where I wanted to be — leading in a golf tournament,” he said.
Bethard, who played college golf in the United States before earning a DP World Tour card this season, shot nine birdies for a 9-under 63.
He opened with two straight birdies and called his unexpected 32-foot birdie on the second hole the highlight of his round.
Reavie, who like Bethard was at 14 under, teed up the 10th hole and made an 18-foot birdie on the 13th to make it six straight birdies in seven holes.
That included five straight holes starting at No. 15. After birdies at Nos. 6 and 7, he holed a 5-foot eagle putt at No. 18.
Hoy, with a bogey-free 66, was at 14 under, like them.
Revie, 42, is in his 17th season on tour, and he won the last of his three victories in 2022. But he said he is enjoying playing with the big newcomers in the tour ranks.
“I love it,” he said. “I love playing with the young guys. It feels like it keeps me a little bit young.”
Six players were one shot back at 13-under 131, including South Africa's Garrick Higgo, who shot 64 that included two eagles and four birdies.
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The eight-under par mark at the halfway point is the PGA Tour record for individual stroke play, a record that has stood since 1970.
The previous lowest cut was seven under at the 2020 Shriners Kids Open.
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Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images
