Sam Ryder, with fill-in caddie, in contention at Black Desert Championship

IVINS, Utah – Sam Ryder had a late caddie change at the Black Desert Championship, where he shot a second-round 66 to reach 12-under.

He has adjusted well and is in contention going into the weekend.

“Unfortunately, my normal caddie, Brent Everson, his mom passed this week, so he went home, which was the best thing for him,” Ryder said.

Ryder’s longtime coach, Adam Schriber, has been in Everson's place. The partnership has worked well as Ryder aims for his first PGA TOUR title. He’s 132nd in the FedExCup Fall, but so far has racked up 11 birdies, one eagle, and one bogey.

“Yeah, just been pretty consistent,” Ryder said. “Haven't really gone backwards much. Only one bogey; couple nice saves. You know, seven of eight up and down. This course you just got to keep it between the rocks. The green complexes are tough.”

As for his fill-in caddie, Schriber, Ryder said the two have done this plenty of times before.

“Yeah, it's different,” he said. “But he knows me really well. We’ve been together for over a decade. He caddied for me on the Canadian Tour, Web.com Tour, Korn Ferry Tour... He does a good job knowing how to transition from coach to caddie. We're not out there tinkering with my swing. We're playing golf and competing and trying get into the shots.

“He's caddied for a lot of his players throughout the years,” Ryder continued. “He really enjoys it because it's a good way for him to learn what I'm working on, what I'm struggling with … looking at ShotLink doesn't always tell the story. It's productive either way. But we're just really trying to just have fun and play golf and compete.”