SCOTTSDALE, Arizz. (AP) — Ryo Hisatsune chipped in for birdie after driving his ball in the water on the par-4 17th hole and shot a bogey-free 8-under 63 on Friday to surge into the lead in the second round of Phoenix Open.
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler closed out a 65 with a 3-foot birdie on No. 18 to extend the PGA Tour’s longest cuts streak to 65. He was seven shots back at 4 under.
Two-time Phoenix Open champion Brooks Koepka had a much tougher go
of it, finishing at 2 over to miss the cut in his second tournament since being reinstated by the PGA Tour. He followed an opening 75 with a 69.
Two Japanese players made the most noise on another warm day at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course.
Two-time Phoenix Open champion Hideki Matsuyama had a run of six straight birdies to shoot 64 in the morning wave to take the lead at 10 under.
He was surpassed by his countryman in the afternoon.
Hisatsune was at 5 under after two birdies on the front nine, then electrified the rowdy crowds by going 6 under in a five-hole stretch — highlighted by his chip-in at 17 — to reach 11-under 131.
Overnight leader Chris Gotterup shot 71 to join Pierceson Coody (68) at 8 under.
Hisatsune tied for second at Torrey Pines last week after missing the cut in the season-opening Sony Open. He had four top-10s as a PGA Tour rookie last year.
The 23-year-old kicked off his closing flourish with birdies on 13 and 14, then dropped in an 8-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th. Hisatsune sent roars through the stadium par-3 16th by sinking a 7-foot birdie putt and smiled sheepishly at his chip in on 17 after hitting his tee shot left into the pond.
Matsuyama opened with a bogey-free 68 and began his second round with three straight pars.
Then he started hitting it close.
Matsuyama birdied the par-5 13th despite hitting his drive left into the desert and hit his approach to 3 feet on the 498-yard par-4 14th for another birdie. He added another a 3-footer and revved up the already-juiced crowd with a 29-foot birdie putt on 16.
Matsuyama had a two-putt birdie on the reachable par-4 17th and capped a 6-under 30 on the back nine with a 4-foot birdie putt on No. 18. He hit it inside 10 feet for two more birdies on Nos. 4-5, but bogeyed the par-4 ninth after pulling his tee shot into the thick left rough.
Scheffler flubbed two chip shots during an opening-round 73 that put him in danger of missing his first cut since the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. He opened the second round with four straight par before knocking it to 3 feet on the par-4 fifth to set up a birdie.
Scheffler shot 2-under 33 on the front nine and had four birdies on the back, capped by the short one on 18.
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