Brendan SteeleEric Gay
PGA Tour rookie Brendan Steele double-bogeyed the par-4 15th to lose a two-stroke lead at the Texas Open, then finished with a par-72 to fall into a rare seven-way tie atop the leaderboard at 3 under Friday.
That is equal to the second-most crowded leaderboard in the PGA Tour after 36 holes since 1970. Strong winds prevented anyone from breaking out, and Friday's average round of 75.289 was the highest on the tour since the 2008 British Open.
"I got pretty beat up out there," Steele said. "I think we all kind of did."
After missing what would've been his fifth birdie, Steele tapped in No. 18 to finish at par-72. He shared the lead with Geoff Ogilvy (72), Rich Beem (70), Kevin Sutherland (70), Charley Hoffman (73), Brandt Snedeker (72), and Kevin Chappell (73).
A seven-way tie after 36 holes hasn't been seen on the tour since the 1977 Westchester. The record was an eight-way tie at the 2001 Greater Hartford Open.
Defending champion Adam Scott (74) and three others were a stroke back.
Steele could've broken the gridlock on the par-5 18th but misses a 6-footer for birdie.
Winds gusting as high as 30 mph played havoc with scores on Friday. Only 13 players managed to break par in the second round while none of the four Canadians entered were able to make the weekend cut.
"Today par is a great score," Ogilvy said after his round of 72. "I think anyone shoots par is not going to be treading water, probably going to be moving forward today."
"Happy to get out of it with no damage done and still looking forward to the weekend," added the Aussie.
David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., who shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday, struggled in the windy conditions Friday, ballooning to a 79. A disastrous front nine saw four bogeys and a double-bogey on the ninth added to two more bogeys on the back nine including the par-4 12th which is playing as the toughest hole on the course today given the gusty conditions.
Hearn came into this event off his most successful career tournament, a sixth place tie at the Houston Open. This will be only his third missed cut in seven events this year.
Chris Baryla's struggles on the PGA Tour continued Friday. For the seventh straight tournament he will miss the cut after shooting a 15-over 87. Baryla had eight bogeys and three double bogeys for his highest scoring round of the year and the second highest scoring round of his career, topped only by a 96 during the second round of the 2008 Nationwide Tour's Wayne Gretzky Classic. It is only the fifth time in his professional career that he has carded a round of 80-plus.
"That was tiring!" was Baryla's quick take on Twitter following his round.
The Vernon, B.C. golfer has made just one cut this year, at the Nationwide Tour's Louisiana Open last month, where he finished tied for 44th.
Matt McQuillan of Kingston, Ont., fared the best of the Canucks, shooting a 3-over 75 for his sixth straight missed cut on the PGA Tour this year.
Things didn't get much better for Mike Weir on day two. After opening with a 79 Thursday, he shot 11-over 83 - the second time this year he has carded a round in the 80s. Weir has missed the cut in six of eight tournaments he's played in, having withdrawn in another.
Kevin Na didn't make the cut this weekend. He followed his infamous 80 with a 77 on Friday. Had he parred or even bogeyed the ninth hole on Thursday, where he ended up shooting 16, he'd have finished well inside the cut line.
Files from the Associated Press were used in this report