Brian Davis changed his life last year, and he is finally seeing the adjustments translate to better golf scores, including a 65 on Friday, which gave him a share of the lead with Louis Oosthuizen at the rain-delayed Houston Open.
Davis and Oosthuizen (66) both completed their rounds at 11-under before the second round was suspended because of darkness at 7:36pm with 70 players still on the course.
Houston resident Jeff Maggert was at 10-under, but he had eight holes left to play in his second round. Defending champion Phil Mickelson (70), J.B. Holmes (67), Tommy Gainey (67) and Greg Owen (69) finished their second rounds and were two shots behind the leaders at nine-under.
Three-time major champion Ernie Els, who must win to qualify for next week’s Masters, was in the group at five-under after a second-round 69.
A thunderstorm dumped 3.2cm of rain on Thursday, causing the backup. The players enjoyed sunny and calm conditions on Friday, but the fairways were damp and players were permitted to lift, clean and place.
Davis played a total of 32 holes on Friday, finishing a first-round 68 and then making seven birdies on his way to his best score of the year.
The 37-year-old Englishman took a hard look at his life late last year after his father, Robert, died of cancer. He changed caddies, hired a sports psychologist and retooled his swing.
“Probably the highlight of the offseason and to this season was taking a look at everything I did on and off the golf course,” Davis said. “I’m more prepared going forward now this year.”
Davis, a father of three, also worked with sports psychologist Bob Winters on managing his time more precisely.
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