Kevin Dougherty takes 36-hole lead, Mac Meissner cards 59 at LECOM Suncoast Classic
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Things to Know
Second-year Korn Ferry Tour member Mac Meissner plays his final seven holes in 7-under par, including a closing eagle at the par-5 ninth, to card 12-under 59, the eighth sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history (established 1990)
Kevin Dougherty cards one of Friday’s four 9-under 62s and breaks the 36-hole tournament scoring record by two strokes at 16-under 126, takes a two-stroke lead over second-year member Logan McAllister in solo second
McAllister, one of the three 18-hole co-leaders, moves to solo second and ties previous 36-hole tournament scoring record of 14-under 128 with birdie on his final hole (par-5 ninth)
Patrick Cover, another of the three 18-hole co-leaders, cards a second consecutive bogey-free round and moves to 13-under par for the tournament after a 5-under 66 Friday
Tampa, Florida native and Korn Ferry Tour rookie Jackson Suber, another of the three 18-hole co-leaders, makes third eagle of the week (tied for most in the field) and and posts 4-under 67 to join a contingent of six players at T4 and four strokes off the lead
The 36-hole cut was made at 6-under par, with 67 professionals advancing to the weekend
Third-round pairings will run from 7 a.m. through 12:51 p.m. off the first tee
Mac Meissner (T4/-12)
Cards the eighth sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history (established 1990) with 10 birdies (in order, Nos. 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8) and one eagle (par-5 ninth)
Hits 17 of 18 greens in regulation, 11 of 13 fairways, and totals 26 putts, including three-putt par at the par-5 14th
Posts the first sub-60 round on the Korn Ferry Tour since Sam Saunders’ 12-under 59 at the 2017 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance
Becomes the fifth player to make 10 birdies in a sub-60 round on the Korn Ferry Tour (Sam Saunders/13; Stephan Jaeger/12; Will Wilcox/10; Doug Dunakey/10)
Makes 11 total birdies (10 birdies, one eagle), tying Tim Widing (11 birdies, Astara Chile Classic/Round 2) and Jack Maguire (11 birdies, Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/Round 4) for the most total birdies in a single round this season
Records the seventh sub-60 round on the Korn Ferry Tour which began on hole No. 10
Rises 104 spots on the leaderboard (T108 to T4) with historic second round
Bidding to join Jason Gore (2005 Cox Classic) and Stephan Jaeger (2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae) as the only other players to card a sub-60 round on the Korn Ferry Tour and win the event
His career-low round in PGA TOUR-sanctioned play prior to Friday was 10-under 62 in Round 2 of PGA TOUR Canada’s 2021 Auburn University Club Invitational, and his career-low round in 28 previous starts (95 previous rounds) on the Korn Ferry Tour was 8-under 63 (2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank/Round 3)
Previous career-high for total birdies in a single round in 28 starts and 95 rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour was nine (2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank/Round 3 – nine birdies)
Second-Round Lead Notes
0: Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic
1: Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (David Skinns/Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club)
Kevin Dougherty (1st/-16)
Tallies nine birdies (Nos. 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 18) for career-low bogey-free 9-under 62 and moves to 16-under 126, breaking the 36-hole tournament scoring record of 128 shared by J.T. Griffin (2019), Maverick McNealy (2019), and Zecheng Dou (2022), none of whom went on to win the LECOM Suncoast Classic
Holds fourth 36-hole lead/co-lead in his 118th career Korn Ferry Tour start; he is 0-for-3 converting 36-hole leads/co-leads into wins
Previous 36-hole leads/co-leads on Tour: 1st/2023 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard (finished 2nd); T1/2020 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club (finished 2nd); 1st/2019 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship (finished T62)
Previous career-low round in 373 career rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour was 63 (8-under 63/2019 Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, Round 2; 7-under 63/2023 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard, Round 1)
Leads field with 17 total birdies (16 birdies, one eagle), two more than four players tied for the second-most total birdies this week
Making fifth appearance at LECOM Suncoast Classic; his best finish was T26 in 2020
Entered week with two top-10s in six starts this season, including his fourth career runner-up finish
Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List all four of his previous seasons on Tour (No. 26 in 2018, No. 33 in 2019, No. 74 in 2020-21, No. 42 in 2022)
Earned conditional Korn Ferry Tour membership for 2017 season with T113 finish at Final Stage of 2016 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (made one start in 2017), but finished T42 at Final Stage in 2017 and set up his 2018 rookie season
Played the 2015 season on PGA TOUR Canada (eight missed cuts in 10 starts)
Murrieta, California native who turned professional out of Oklahoma State University in 2014
Quotables
Mac Meissner on 12-under 59… “Based on how yesterday went, I didn’t expect today to go as it did. Didn’t hit it great, did not putt very well. I was hoping I could just sneak in the cut and ended up shooting 59. Definitely a little bit shocked. That’s my first one ever, and to do it in competition it pretty insane. I didn’t know I was there until I birdied No. 8. I thought it was a par 72. No. 9 was downwind; we were like, ‘Might as well go for a 59.’ We were in between clubs in the fairway and my caddie looked at me and goes, “Are we trying to shoot 59, or are we trying to shoot 60?” I pulled less club and went right at it and ended up hitting it (to) like 15 feet and making it.”
Meissner on the task still ahead this weekend… “Guys are going low. I’ve got to keep the pedal down. It’s definitely going to be tough to back that up. No one really talks about how hard it is to back up good rounds, so tomorrow I’m just going to focus on my process and commit to every shot and see how it goes.”
Kevin Dougherty on what is different about him this season compared to past years… “Every area of my game has gotten better. I’m in an amazing spot in my life. I have a ton of things to be thankful for, and getting to play golf for a living is definitely one of them. My family’s amazing. Just kind of in a good spot, kind of at ease with everything.”
Notes
The 36-hole cut was made at 6-under 136 for the second consecutive year at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, tying the lowest 36-hole cut score in Korn Ferry Tour history (16th occurrence; most recent: 2022 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open Benefitting KU Wichita Pediatrics)
6-under par ties the fifth-lowest score relative to par for a 36-hole cut in Korn Ferry Tour, trailing four 36-hole cuts made at 7-under 137; this marks the 17th time in Korn Ferry Tour history a 36-hole cut was made 6-under par
Logan McAllister (2nd/-14), who finished No. 3 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2022, cards bogey-free 6-under 65 and stands inside the top 10 through 36 holes for the first time in his 16th career Korn Ferry Tour start; his previous career-high 36-hole position was T11/2023 The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club (finished T10)
Patrick Cover (3rd/-13) establishes a new career-high 36-hole position (previous: T14/2022 Live and Work in Maine Open; finished T15), shatters his previous career-low 36-hole score in 30th career Korn Ferry Tour start (previous: 6-under 136/2023 Veritex Bank Championship)
Jim Knous (T52/-6) holes an albatross with 4-iron from 239 yards at the par-5 14th, makes cut on the number
Sarasota, Florida native Michael Visacki (T52/-6) and conditional member Trace Crowe (T31/-8) are the only open qualifiers to make the 36-hole cut
Beni Long (MC/+1), an 18-year-old amateur and senior at nearby Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, follows a 1-under 70 with a 2-over 73 and misses cut