Akshay Bhatia, Shad Tuten share lead in suspended second round in Exuma

Things to Know

Defending champion Akshay Bhatia earned a share of the 36-hole lead with a 3-under 69 in the second round as he bids to become second player in Korn Ferry Tour history to successfully defend a title

Third-season Korn Ferry Tour member Shad Tuten posted a 5-under 67 for a share of the lead at 8-under par

Cody Blick moved within one stoke of the lead with three holes remaining in his second round

The outright 18-hole leader, Jeremy Paul, fell to T48 following a 7-over 79 in the second round

The projected 36-hole cut is 1-over par (7-way T61), with 67 members inside the projected cut line

Transcripts from this week’s interviews are available here

Akshay Bhatia (T1 / -8)

Would mark first lead/co-lead prior to the final round of his Korn Ferry Tour career

Entered the second round in a 3-way T2, two strokes behind 18-hole leader Jeremy Paul

Second-round 3-under 69 featured a 1-over 37 on the front nine (two birdies and three bogeys) and a bogey-free 4-under 32 on the back (four birdies)

Has a field-leading 15 birdies through 36 holes

Has shot 3-under 69 or lower in five of his six total rounds played in this event (67-69 this week)

Won the 2022 Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay and became the third-youngest player to win on the Korn Ferry Tour, doing so at 19 years, 11 months, and 19 days old, only behind Sungjae Im (19 years 9 months, 17 days/2018 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay) and Jason Day (19 years, 7 months, 26 days/2007 Legend Financial Classic)

Finished 30th on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List with four top-25s in 24 starts

Also has 20 PGA TOUR starts in his career, highlighted by a T9 finish at the 2020 Fortinet Championship

Shad Tuten (T1/-8)

In third appearance in this event (missed cut in 2020, 2022), recorded a personal-best 5-under 67 in the second round with six birdies (Nos. 1, 4, 6, 11, 12, 17) against one bogey at the par-3 second

Would mark the second 36-hole lead/co-lead of Korn Ferry Tour career (solo leader at 2022 Chitimacha Louisiana Open/finished T28)

Finished 59th on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, posting five top-25s, including one top-10, across 24 starts; he finished No. 69 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Points list as a rookie

Made his way to the Korn Ferry Tour via PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, playing the circuit from 2017-19 and finishing eighth in the 2019 Totalplay Cup for an exemption to Final Stage of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (finished T13 for guaranteed starts in the first eight events of what became the 2020-21 season)

Played collegiately at Darton State College and Armstrong State University (exhausted eligibility summer 2014), but would not turn professional until 2016

Quotables

Akshay Bhatia on being in contention after winning this event last year: “It's obviously very nice to be back, very comfortable. It's hard not to be happy starting the year in The Bahamas, and to have two weeks of it, it's super cool and we're very fortunate that the Korn Ferry Tour can host events like this. It was good. A little scruffy today. Obviously we haven't played at all in the last four months, so just getting back to the roots and everything.”

Shad Tuten on his second round and making the cut: “I did a lot right. I played to basically what I wanted to do pretty much the whole day and really yesterday, too. Hit a couple bad tee balls yesterday, but today I kind of kept it in play and kept it in front of me and made a couple extra putts today. Honestly, I just wanted to come here and have fun. I've had fun the other two times but I shot a million. It's just nice to be able to be in some heat and some sunshine and the wind. It's just really nice to be back in The Bahamas.”

Notes

Daniel Miernicki (T3 / -7), making his 46th career Korn Ferry Tour start, sits one shot off the lead in search of his first top-10 on the Korn Ferry Tour (previous best is a T16 at the 2020 King & Bear Classic at World Golf Village)

Chandler Phillips (T3 / -7) eagled the par-5 first and made four birdies and two bogeys; he finished T10 at Final Stage of the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament for a third consecutive season of membership

Josh Teater (T6 / -6) is the only player in the field without a bogey through 36 holes

Patrick Newcomb (T13 / -4) and Austin Squires (T48 / E) are the only sponsor exemptions projected to make the cut

Quade Cummins (T48 / -6) and Andrew Kozan (T20 /-3) carded the most birdies of any player to complete their second round (eight apiece)

Cumulative Course Statistics

Scoring Average (Total): 72.900 [+0.900]

Scoring Average (Front Nine – Par 36): 36.374 [-0.374]

Scoring Average (Back Nine – Par 35): 36.522 [+0.522]

Toughest Hole: No. 5, Par 4, 499 yards – 4.393 [+0.393]

Easiest Hole: No. 1, Par 5, 532 yards – 4.542 [-0.458]