Expectant father Harold Varner III in contention at Sanderson Farms

JACKSON, Miss. – The stats on Harold Varner III on Friday showed that he hits just six of 14 fairways, four-putted the par-5 11th hole, and yet held it together for a 1-under 71 in the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.

The stats on Harold Varner IV: He’s due next Tuesday.

“I like my chances a lot,” Varner said, when asked how quickly he thought he could get home to Gastonia, North Carolina, where wife Amanda is expecting the couple’s first child. “I think we're super fortunate to have unbelievable people and to make enough money to be able to make this happen.

“Because if I was flying commercial,” Varner continued, “I'm not really sure it would be as easy or possible at all. It wasn't going to be possible. I wasn't going to play.”

At 8 under par for the tournament, Varner, 31, was well within reach of the leaders. He is knocking on the door for his first PGA TOUR victory. After finishing last season with a T11 at THE NORTHERN TRUST and T12 at the BMW Championship, he opened the new season with a T16 at the Fortinet Championship two weeks ago.

Other than the four-putt Friday, he has credited his hot putting.

Varner’s caddie, Chris Rice, has been monitoring Varner’s phone to make sure all is quiet back in Gastonia, or G-Town, as Varner calls it. Rice checked it four times Friday.

“You figure it out,” said Rice, the father of a 5-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, who are back home in Liverpool, England. “Everyone will tell you to read books, but nothing will prepare you for what you’re about to become. We’re in a good position out here to give these kids a good start in life, and we get a lot of time off, as well.”

Varner said he hasn’t been practicing swaddling or putting on diapers.

“No,” he said. “Hell, no. Who practices that?”

Turning more serious, he added: “Yeah, the biggest thing for me is going to be traveling. I've never had a hard time leaving at all, but seeing my wife like as big as she is and just the things she was going through, it was a lot different than it's ever been.”

Varner plans to take next week off, and then play THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT, followed by the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. After that he didn’t expect to be back in action until the QBE Shootout with partner Ryan Palmer in mid-December.

“I'm not taking any time off,” he said. “That kid's got to eat.”