Peter Kuest, Matt McCarty share 36-hole lead at The Ascendant presented by Blue

Things to know

• Peter Kuest and Matt McCarty share the 36-hole lead at 11-under 133, marking the first 36-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event for both players; they hold a one-stroke lead over five players who stand T3.
• Christo Lamprecht (T3/-10), who finished No. 2 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking and earned fully exempt Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the 2024 season, makes his first cut in what is his fourth start on Tour since turning professional out of Georgia Tech.
• Cheyenne, Wyoming native Joshua Creel (T3/-10) cards a second consecutive 5-under 67 and sits one stroke off the lead, holds his highest 36-hole position in a Korn Ferry Tour event since the 2023 Visit Knoxville Open (T3/finished T52).
• The 36-hole cut was made at 3-under 141, with 74 professionals advancing to the weekend.
• Third-round pairings will run from 6:30 a.m. through 1:20 p.m. local time off the first tee.

Charting the co-leaders

Matt McCarty (T1/-11)

• Holds first 36-hole lead/co-lead in what is his 67th career start on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Previous career-high 36-hole position was T3 (2023 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH/finished T8; 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance/finished T14)
• Follows 7-under 65 with 4-under 68 to total 11-under 133, his second-lowest opening 36-hole score of the season (11-under 132/BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX)
• Making third appearance at The Ascendant presented by Blue (missed cut in both previous appearances)
• Had not broken par in any of his four previous rounds at The Ascendant presented by Blue
• Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of the last two seasons (No. 55 as a rookie in 2022, No. 35 in 2023) and is fully exempt for 2024
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time ahead of the 2022 season with a T39 at Final Stage of 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry)
• Turned professional in 2021 after five seasons at Santa Clara University (2016-21), where he earned three All-West Coast Conference honors (2018, 2019, 2021)

Peter Kuest (T1/-11)

• Holds first career 36-hole lead/co-lead in what is his 25th career start on the Korn Ferry Tour
• Previous career-high 36-hole position on Tour was T6/2022 Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health
• Follows 4-under 68 with 7-under 65 for his lowest opening 36-hole score of the season (previous: 10-under 134/Compliance Solutions Championship)
• Earned Special Temporary Membership on the PGA TOUR last season off the strength of top-25s at the 2023 CJ CUP Byron Nelson (T14), 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic (T4), and 2023 John Deere Classic (T17); he failed to accrue enough non-member FedExCup points to finish in the top 125 of the 2022-23 FedExCup Fall, relegating him to conditional status on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2024 season
• Finished No. 128 on the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie, after he earned conditional membership with a T63 at Final Stage of 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry)
• Since the start of 2022, has more top 25s on the PGA TOUR (seven) than Korn Ferry Tour (three)
• Turned professional in 2020 after four seasons at Brigham Young University (2016-20), where he won 10 individual titles, including the 2017 West Coast Conference Championship, and was named the 2019 West Coast Conference Golfer of the Year

Quotables

Peter Kuest on what he likes about TPC Colorado:“I like playing at elevation. I live in Utah so I'm used to elevation. Greens are awesome, fairways are great, rough's tough. I think it's just a good test of golf.”

Kuest on playing the PGA TOUR as a Special Temporary Member last season but failing to retain status: “It's definitely tough when you feel like you've played well enough and do some different things to where you should have some status somewhere and then you come out here and you basically have no status. It's definitely tough in that regard. But each week's a new opportunity and just going to try to make the most of it.”

Additional player notes

• Christo Lamprecht (T3/-10) eagles the par-5 first and fifth, making him the only player with multiple eagles in the second round.
• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Trevor Cone (T3/-10), who graduated to the PGA TOUR following the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season, ties his highest 36-hole position of the season and stands T3 through 36 holes for a second consecutive start (Compliance Solutions Championship/finished T8 for his fourth top-10 of the season).
• Cristobal Del Solar (T3/-10), who finished No. 52 on the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour Points List for fully exempt status this season, stands T3 or higher through 36 holes for the third time this season (second/Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished fifth; T1/Visit Knoxville Open/finished T8).
• Del Solar has five top 10s in 15 starts on Tour this season and currently stands No. 18 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List.
• Korn Ferry Tour winner Rick Lamb (T3/-10) ties his career-high 36-hole position in a Korn Ferry Tour event (T3/2016 AdventHealth Championship/finished T34) and stands inside the top five after 36 holes for the second time this season (T4/LECOM Suncoast Classic/finished T37); Lamb is seeking his first top 25 on Tour since the 2021 Visit Knoxville Open/T22.
• Cole Sherwood (T8/-9), the No. 7 finisher in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, logs his second made cut in his third career start on the Korn Ferry Tour (T46/2024 Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open).
• Karl Vilips (T14/-8), the No. 10 finisher in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking and a sponsor exemption this week, makes the cut in his Korn Ferry Tour debut.
• Outright 18-hole leader Richy Werenski (T14/-8) follows his first-round 9-under 63 – which tied the 18-hole tournament scoring record and TPC Colorado course record – with 1-over 73.
• University of Colorado alum Jeremy Paul (T29/-6), winner of the 2024 season-opening The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, falls 23 places on the leaderboard after even-par 72 Friday.
• Four of the eight open qualifiers make the 36-hole cut: Will Chandler (T14/-8), Austin Duncan (T29/-6), Timmy Crawford (T45/-5), Turk Pettit (T65/-3).
• This marks the third time this season at least four open qualifiers make the 36-hole cut (six/Veritex Bank Championship; four/AdventHealth Championship).