Nicholas Lindheim takes outright lead at The Ascendant presented by Blue

Things to Know

· Making his fifth and final start in preparation to return to the PGA TOUR on a medical extension, two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and 18-hole co-leader Nicholas Lindheim cards bogey-free 5-under 67 for second 36-hole lead/co-lead of the season and third of Korn Ferry Tour career

· Max Greyserman cards bogey-free 6-under 66, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 fifth, to stand T2 and match his career-high 36-hole position (2023 Astara Chile Classic; 2021 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS)

· Quade Cummins ties the low round of the week with 7-under 65, rises to T2 at 10-under par and sits one stroke off the lead

· Friday’s scoring average of 73.013 marks the highest single-round scoring average at TPC Colorado in the 18-round history of The Ascendant presented by Blue (previous: 72.465/2020/Round 1)

· Only three players who teed off prior to 11:55 a.m. local time broke 70: Logan McAllister (68), Jackson Suber (69), Christopher Petefish (69)

· For the fifth consecutive year at this event, the 36-hole cut was made at 1-under par (67 professionals advanced to the weekend)

· Third-round pairings will run from 6:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m. local time off the first tee

Second-Round Lead Notes

2: Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win The Ascendant (Nelson Ledesma/2019; Will Zalatoris/2020)

2: Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (David Skinns/Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club; Paul Barjon/Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS

Nicholas Lindheim (1st/-11)

· Making fifth and final start in preparation to return to the PGA TOUR on a medical extension, follows 6-under 66 with bogey-free 5-under 67 for one-stroke lead

· Cards five birdies (Nos. 3, 4, 13, 15, 16), including birdies for the second consecutive day at Nos. 3, 4, 15, 16

· Holds third career 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour (T1/2023 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/finished T8; 1st/2015 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae/finished T10)

· In four starts on the Korn Ferry Tour this season, has three top-10s, including a solo-third at the Compliace Solutions Championship last month

· Making fourth start at this event, with previous finishes of T44/2020, T44/2022, and withdrawal/2021

· In nine rounds at TPC Colorado prior to this week, lowest score was 4-under 68 (2022/Round 4)

· Previous Korn Ferry Tour wins are 2016 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank (2-stroke victory over J.J. Spaun), 2017 DAP Championship (defeated Chesson Hadley and Rob Oppenheim in playoff)

· In 19 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour last season, recorded 15 made cuts, a season-high finish of T6/LECOM Suncoast Classic, and five top-25s, including two in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals to secure a return to the PGA TOUR

· Previously earned or retained PGA TOUR card via the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2022

· Won twice on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (2014 and 2015) while playing the Korn Ferry Tour

· Did not take up golf until 2003 at age 19 and turned professional in 2006, after which he moved to Florida

Quotables

Nicholas Lindheim on whether a late tee time tomorrow is beneficial for his back… “Yeah, 100 percent. Obviously the warmer, the better. Staying hydrated's another piece. Those guys this morning, I'm staying on property here with a host family and it was blowing really hard this morning. I think we really made out in our wave. Starting on No. 10 yesterday morning and then the wind switching making some harder holes easy with the wind being down, I mean, I've been on the bad side of a wave and I definitely feel pretty lucky that I was on this side of the wave.”

Lindheim on what he’s looking forward to most this weekend… “Hopefully, some hot weather. No, just to be competitive, that's why we all do it. I enjoy it, it gets my nerves going and gets my stomach a little sick once in a while, but that means I care and I relish it.”

Max Greyserman on being just outside the top 30 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List… “It's always in the back of your mind. Yeah, some guys will say, oh, they're focusing on the present, but it's always in the back of their mind. I would say I'm not focusing so much on getting my PGA TOUR card today, tomorrow, the next week. I'm just trying to get better at my game, better with my mental game and all aspects of my game week to week, month to month and year to year. Hopefully that takes care of itself in the end. I'm right there this year and I'm doing everything I can to do it this year. Hopefully, if not, next year or whatever. Yeah, it's getting down to crunch time, so got to play well.”

Notes

· Max Greyserman (T2/-10), who finished No. 46 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and only made seven starts in 2022 due to injury, matches his career-high 36-hole position (2023 Astara Chile Classic/finished T25; 2021 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS/finished T29)

· In three previous starts at The Ascendant presented by Blue, Greyserman has finishes of T37/2019, T15/2020, T48/2021

· Greyserman (12 birdies, one eagle) and Isaiah Salinda (T20/-4) are tied for the most total birdies in the field with 13 apiece

· Quade Cummins (T2/-10), who finished No. 70 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and No. 6 in the inaugural PGA TOUR University Class of 2021, holds his highest 36-hole position since leading the 2022 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation/finished T27

· Cummins and Alejandro Tosti (T6/-7) shared the low round of the day (and the week) with matching 7-under 65s

· Making his 36th career start in his second season as a member, Thomas Rosenmueller (T4/-8) establishes a new career-high 36-hole position (previous: T5/2023 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished T57)

· Rookie Parker Coody (T4/-8), who won on PGA TOUR Canada last year and finished No. 13 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2022, makes seven birdies against two bogeys en route to 5-under 67, stands inside the top 15 through 36 holes for the second time in 12 career starts on Tour (T4/2023 Veritex Bank Championship/finished T52)

· In addition to Nicholas Lindheim (1st/-11), two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Ben Silverman (T6/-7), who won earlier this year as a sponsor exemption at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club, the second event of the 2023 season, and Matt Atkins (T6/-7) are the only other Korn Ferry Tour winners among the eight players standing T6 or higher

· Ryan McCormick (T9/-6), one of two 18-hole co-leaders, cards three birdies and three bogeys for even-par 72