Every takes over top-spot at Tour Championship after course-record 63
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Matt Every fired a course record nine-under-par 63 today to take the second round lead in the Tour Championship at Daniel Island, the season’s final event. Every is one stroke better than Australians Cameron Percy and Michael Sim.Yesterday’s 64 by Sim seemed likely to be the only course record posted this week, especially when Every shot a two-under-par 70 in the first round and was content.
“When I got done yesterday I thought two-under-par was good and then I saw on the scoreboard Michael (Sim) birdied eight holes in a row and I thought there was no way, that’s wrong, and it wasn’t,” said Every.
Every’s 63 consisted of ten birdies and a lone bogey. To some, a bogey may dampen a great round but not in his mind.
“No. 10 was a good bogey. I pull hooked my tee shot into the left sand trap. When I got to my ball I noticed I didn’t have a stance. I wound up chunking it into the next sand trap,” he said. “Then I proceeded to chunk it again, this time into the fairway about 50 yards away. I got up and down for my bogey and I was pleased with a five.”
This year hasn’t been a very good for Every by his own admission. He’s made just 15 of 25 cuts with only six top-25 finishes. Earlier in the year at the Stonebrae Classic, Every played with Sim and it changed the way he looked at putting and it’s starting to pay off.
“I felt like we played about the same but he beat me by eight,” said Every, who is well known for being a quick player. “It’s not like I’m trying to copy his stroke. I’m just trying to think of his rhythm and take my time.”
Every has to finish no worse than solo third to possibly be in the top-25 on the money list and earn his 2010 PGA Tour card. While that may be on his mind come Sunday, right now he’s just thinking about having fun.
“It was great out there today. Early in the round I was hitting everything to within six feet of the hole. I feel like I’m playing good again so it’s fun. The only stumble I made all day was on No. 10 but I made a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 13, which changed my momentum. I feel like I’m playing good enough to finish well but there’s a lot of golf left and a lot of good players in this Tournament.”
Sim is one of those good players Every is referring to. Sim, who turned 25-years-old today, started the day with an eagle on the par-4 second hole and a birdie on No. 3 to get to eleven-under-par. Despite three bogeys on the back nine he managed to birdie the par-5 eighteenth hole. Once the putt dropped, the crowd sang Happy Birthday.
“It lightens the mood,” said Sim. “I was kind of beating my head there on the back nine and to come in and hear people singing to you is a nice way to finish.”
Fellow countryman Cameron Percy closed his round by making birdie on four of his final five holes. Percy has seven top-10 finishes this year.
Second-round notebook:
*Two players celebrated birthdays on Friday – Won Joon Lee turned 24 and Michael Sim turned 25.
*Matt Every’s 9-under 63 broke Michael Sim’s one day old course record. Sim set the mark of 64 in yesterday’s opening round. Jerod Turner matched the record earlier Friday before Every lowered it with his 10-birdie, 1 bogey effort.
*Matt Every’s 63 today tied his career low score which he set in the second round of the Stonebrae Classic earlier this year. Every grabbed the 36-hole lead in that event with scores of 69-63. He went on to finish T4 at TPC at San Francisco Bay.
*Cameron Percy (65) leads the Tournament with 14 birdies thus far.
*There is no 36-hole cut in this week’s Tournament. All 58 players will play 72 holes.
*There was only one eagle in today’s second round and that was by first-day leader Michael Sim, who hit a knockdown-7 iron from 144 yards. The only other eagle of the week came in Thursday’s opener when Chris Baryla made an eagle-3 at the par-5, 3rd hole.
*Matt Every’s 63 today matched the lowest second-round score in Tournament history – Jay Delsing, 2002.
*This is the second time this season that Every has held/shared a lead at any point in a Tournament. He held a three-shot lead after two rounds of the Stonebrae Classic.
*Matt Every’s 6-under 30 on the front nine was the low 9-hole score for the week so far.
*Here is how the “bubble boys” are faring this week:
$ Player Scores Standing $ projection
20. Fran Quinn 73-67 T17 24
21. Vance Veazey 71-68 T13 21
22. Mathias Gronberg 69-69 T8 19
23. Brian Stuard 76-67 T36 28
24. Craig Bowden 71-70 T22 27
25. Alistair Presnell 70-69 T13 25
26. Scott Gardiner 70-75 T44 30
27. Andrew Buckle 67-76 T36 31
28. Gavin Coles 73-70 T36 32
29. David Schultz 74-73 T52 34
30. Fabian Gomez 70-65 4 22
Return to Other Tours archives