Canada’s Adam Svensson fired a five-under-par 67 to remain atop the leaderboard when Friday’s storm-interrupted second round of the Barbasol Championship was halted by darkness.
Svensson made seven birdies against two bogeys to match his 36-hole PGA Tour career low on 15 under 129 at Keene Trace in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
France’s Robin Roussel and Americans Mark Hubbard and Brandon Hagy shared second in the clubhouse on 132, Hagy after a bogey-free 62, with Americans Sean O’Hair, Dylan Wu and Kramer Hickok and Germany’s Yannik Paul on 133.
South Africans Dawie van der Walt and Justin Walters are among 12 players on seven under (T35).
An afternoon storm stoppage of more than three hours meant sunset arrived with 76 players unable to complete their second round. Play was set to resume Saturday morning.
Among those still on the course, the low score belonged to American Trey Mullinax, who was 13 under overall with five holes remaining, six under on his second round.
World No 158 Svensson, chasing his first PGA victory, matched the lowest opening round in tournament history with a 62 on Thursday.
After a 4am wake-up call, Svensson took a nap in his car during the delay and adjusted to the rain-soaked course once play resumed.
“It got a lot wetter,” Svensson said. “You had to control your wedges. The ball was spinning back. I hit a lot of chippy shots coming in. It wasn’t bad actually.
“Get it in the fairway and you can make a lot of birdies.”
The event is co-sanctioned by the PGA and DP World Tours for the first time as is this week’s Scottish Open, where most of the world’s top players are competing ahead of next week’s Open at St Andrews.
Svensson (28) managed his two best PGA Tour results this season, a share of seventh at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January and ninth at the Honda Classic in February.
Svensson opened with a birdie and answered a bogey at the 3rd hole with a 29-foot birdie putt at the 4th. He added birdies at the 6th and 7th then closed with three birdies in the last six holes.
After a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th, Svensson sandwiched birdies at 15 and 17 around a bogey at the par-3 16th.
© Agence France-Presse
