Every takes three-shot lead after posting 63
HAYWARD, Calif. - Matt Every kept hitting the ball so close to the hole in Friday’s second round of the Stonebrae Classic that it was almost impossible to miss his putts. Every had back-to-back eagles, one of them a hole-in-one, en route to an 8-under 63 and sole possession of the clubhouse lead after two days at TPC San Francisco Bay. Every’s 10-under 132 total is three shots better than Australian Michael Sim (64), four better than first-round leader Todd Demsey (71) and five in front of Brian Smock (69) and Andrew Scott (66).A total of 45 players have yet to complete the second round of the tournament, which was delayed 2 ½ hours by fog Thursday morning and won’t be back on schedule until after the third round
Players will return to the course at 8 a.m. Saturday to complete round two. The low-60 players and ties will make the 36-hole cut, which is currently projected at 2-over-par 144.
Among those still on the course, Jeff Wood and Clay Ogden are both 4-under through 11 holes. Four players are at 3-under par with several holes to go – Willie Wood, Garth Mulroy, Jeff Gallgher and John Kimbell.
Every was threatening all kinds of Nationwide Tour records early in his round, which featured an 8-under 28 on the front nine. He reeled off three consecutive birdies, followed by consecutive eagles starting at No. 3. By the time he added another birdie at No. 10 he was 9-under for the day on the par-71 layout.
“I know what it’s like to be there and I know how you can get caught up in it and before you know it, you’re right back where you started,” said Every. “I don’t want to say that you keep the pedal down but it’s still Friday and there’s a lot of golf left to play. I wanted to see if I could make my lead bigger instead of thinking about being 10-under and holding on for dear life.”
During his run, Every didn’t make a putt over 10 feet in the first 10 holes. His wedge at the par-3, 4th hit the cup and stopped an inch away. Two holes later, his 6-iron from 163 yards rolled in like a putt, giving him his third career ace and second as a pro. Despite the torrid start, Every never started thinking about the magic number of 59 and didn’t worry about what was ahead.
“I don’t want to say I’ve been this many under par in a tournament before, but I’ve been that many under on the course I grew up on,” said Every of his younger days at Riviera Country Club in Ormond Beach, FL. “It’s just a wedge-fest there. We learned to score there. I think I’ve shot 60 there about five times. I’m not any better at keeping my head, but maybe I can deal with it better because I’ve done it a few times.”
Every’s scorecard went from red to black with four consecutive bogeys, beginning at No. 11.
“Those next four holes, I missed three greens in a row,” he said. “People started coming out. Cameras were in my face. I had some weird numbers, was in between yardages and had some tough shots. Those were the toughest holes on the course. I was just off the green on No. 14 and wound up three-putting from 20 feet, so the wheels were coming off.”
He rebounded with three birdies on his final four holes but admitted he couldn’t take full credit for the turnaround.
“I just got lucky. You bogey four in a row and the next hole is an easy par-5 where I just had to hit a good drive,” he said. “That hole being there, and it being the next one, is just luck.”
Second-Round Notes:
* First-round play resumed at 8 a.m.
* Here is how the leaderboard looked after the First Round was completed:
1. Todd Demsey 65 (-6)
2. Chad Ginn 67 (-4)
3. Craig Barlow 68 (-3)
Garth Mulroy 68 (-3)
Dennis Paulson 68 (-3)
Brian Smock 68 (-3)
* The scoring average for Round One was 74.161.
* Robert Damron (79) withdrew after the first round.
* Ron Whittaker (+8/14 holes) withdrew during the round.
* Officials moved the tees up 85 yards on the par-5, 7th hole, which resulted in a hole that measures only 472 yards for the second round. The hole currently has a scoring average of 4.208, and has yielded only three bogeys among the first 125 players to play that hole during the second round.
* The second round was suspended due to darkness at 7:34 p.m.
Return to Other Tours archives