Seven tied after second round of Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron

8/20/2021

Seven players sit tied for the lead after 36 holes at 10-under 132 at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, a record-high number of players sitting equal after the second round dating back to at least 2008. Second-round co-leaders at Hillcrest Country Club include: Mark Hubbard, John Huh, Ben Kohles, Patrick Rodgers, Chad Ramey, Hayden Buckley and J.J. Spaun.

The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is the first of three tournaments in the 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Finals. The top-25 players in the Finals points standings at the conclusion of the three tournaments will earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2021-22 season.

While Kohles and Ramey have each already earned their 2021-22 PGA TOUR card via finishing in the top-25 of the regular season Korn Ferry Tour points standings, the other five players are looking to regain their TOUR status or reach the PGA TOUR for the first time.

“I think these three Finals events, nothing against them, but it’s probably the easiest way to get your [TOUR] card,” said Hubbard, a 32-year-old who has competed full-time on both the Korn Ferry Tour (three seasons) and PGA TOUR (five season). “I think finishing in the top-25 on the Korn Ferry Tour [regular season], especially in this mega-season, has got to be the hardest, and then I think finishing inside the top-125 on TOUR is in the middle. Obviously I’d rather be in New Jersey right now, but I feel good about my chances out here, I’ve been playing well over the last couple of months and all it takes is one good – not even amazing – week among these three and you have your card back.”

Hubbard, who finished 143rd in the FedExCup this season, joins Huh (153rd), Rodgers (128th) and Spaun (174th) in trying to regain PGA TOUR status after an underwhelming season at the highest level.

Rodgers in particular noted the three-tournament stretch as an opportunity to rebound and enter the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season with some momentum.

“Yeah, I really tried to do as much as I could to get off to a fresh start for these three events,” said Rodgers. “One positive that I can take from being here is that I felt like my recent form has been trending in the right direction. I didn’t feel like I was playing poor golf to end up here. I’m trying to be as confident as I can in my golf game and realize that these are amazing opportunities to win golf tournaments. I’m excited about that, that’s why I play.”

Buckley, a University of Missouri alum who won the LECOM Suncoast Classic in February, is attempting to reach the PGA TOUR for the first time. The 25-year-old is nearing the end of a strong rookie campaign on the Korn Ferry Tour that included a win and a runner-up finish, the latter of which came two weeks ago at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank.

Kohles and Ramey officially locked up PGA TOUR membership through their finish inside The 25 after the regular season finale last week. Kohles will return to the TOUR full-time for the first time since his rookie season in 2013 after finishing 23rd in the standings last week. Ramey will compete on TOUR as a rookie next season after a dominant season that has included a win, 21 top-25s and 37 of 40 made cuts. Ramey, a Mississippi State alum, finished third in the regular season standings last week.

The highest recorded number of players tied after 36 holes (dating back to at least 2008) previous to this week was five at the 2020 Korn Ferry Challenge at TPC Sawgrass.

The third round will run from 7:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. off of the first tee on Saturday at Hillcrest Country Club.

Second-Round Notes

Friday’s weather: sunny with a high of 84 degrees and variable winds at 4-10 mph
The 36-hole cut was made at 3-under 139 with 80 professionals advancing to the weekend
The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is the first event of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, a three-event series to determine the second set of 25 PGA TOUR cards given out for the 2021-22 season; the first set of 25 PGA TOUR cards was given out last week to the top-25 point earners through the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour regular season
With the Korn Ferry Tour Finals consisting of three tournaments, players who finish inside the top-five at each of the three tournaments are projected to finish inside the Finals 25
Kelly Kraft (-9, T8) carded the low round of the week with a 10-under 61, two strokes shy of the course record
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (-8, T16) aced the par-3 eighth hole, the 32nd ace all-time at the Albertsons Boise Open and the 32nd of the 2020-21 combined season on the Korn Ferry Tour; later in the afternoon, Charlie Saxon (+2, MC) aced the par-3 17th hole marking the first time two aces have been made in one round since June (R1/BMW Charity Pro-Am)
Will Gordon (+1, MC) carded an albatross at the par-5 second hole on Friday; the albatross is the fourth on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021 and the eighth of the 2020-21 combined season
Defending tournament champion Stephan Jaeger opened with rounds of 69-68 (T40); no player in the Korn Ferry Tour’s 32-year history has successfully defended their title; additionally, a win would be his seventh on Tour, matching the all-time record currently held by Jason Gore
Trey Mullinax (-9, T8) is the only player to remain bogey-free through his first two rounds
The Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron is one of the original four tournaments from 1990 that are still on the Korn Ferry Tour’s schedule; famous Korn Ferry Tour alumni have played in Boise on their way to the PGA TOUR, including Jason Day (2007), Bubba Watson (2005), Xander Schauffele (2016) and Justin Thomas (2014)
This week’s purse is $1,000,000 with $1 million going to the champion; the champion will also receive 1,000 Korn Ferry Tour points

Second-Round Course Statistics

Toughest Hole – Par-3 13th (3.221)
Easiest Hole – Par-5 second (4.321)
Scoring Average (Front 9) – 34.664 (par-36)
Scoring Average (Back 9) – 34.084 (par-35)
Scoring Average (Total) – 68.748
Scoring Average (Cumulative) – 69.291