Ted Potter opened with an eagle on his way to firing a three-under 67 on Friday to share the lead with Brandt Snedeker after the second round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Snedeker, a runner-up the previous two weekends, and Potter stood on eight-under 134 after 36 holes at the US$6.5 million USPGA event, which is played over three different northern California courses near the Pacific Ocean.
Potter, a 29-year-old American who won his first USPGA title last year at the Greenbrier Classic, fired a five-under 67 on Thursday at par-72 Pebble Beach and then backed it up with a solid round on Friday at the par-70 Monterrey Peninsula Shore course.
Starting on the back nine, Potter eagled the par-five 10th, but took back-to-back bogeys at the 14th and 15th.
He answered with two sets of back-to-back birdies, the first brace at the second and third, and the other at the par-five sixth and par-three seventh. He closed with a bogey at nine.
Snedeker opened with a 66 at the Shore on Thursday and followed with a bogey-free four-under 68 on Friday at par-72 Spyglass Hill.
Also starting on the 10th tee, Snedeker birdied the par-three 12th and par-five 14th, then added back-to-back birdies at the par-five seventh and the par-four eighth.
“I didn’t make a lot of putts today, but look forward to going into the weekend, confidence is very high and after last week, feel like my game is where I want it to be and two good days to go, should be a lot of fun,” Snedeker said.
Snedeker’s two runner-up finishes on the previous two weekends came behind Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines and Phil Mickelson at the Phoenix Open.
“I take nothing but positives away from the way I’ve played the weekend the last couple events,” Snedeker said. “That’s how you win out here — you keep putting yourself in position and the more times you do that, the more success you’re going to have.”
A quartet of players were at seven-under.
John Merrick posted a 67 at the Shore, where Hunger Mahan carded a 69.
Sweden’s Fredrik Jacobsen got to seven-under with a superb six-under 66 at Pebble Beach. He teed off on 10 and his seven birdies included four in a row from 15 to 18.
Patrick Reed posted a 69 at Pebble Beach that included three birdies without a bogey.
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