Cromwell [USA], Akshay Bhatia remained in the group tied for second at the Travelers Championship as Korea's Tom Kim (65) retained his two-stroke first-round lead on Friday.
Kim celebrated his 22nd birthday in style by shooting a 5-under 65 and remaining bogey-free for the second straight day.
Indian-American Bhatia, who shot 64 on the first day, added a 65 with seven birdies and two bogeys. He made two birdies on the first three holes and added more birdies on the sixth, eighth and ninth and then on the 15th and 17th. A bogey on the fifth was his first shot and the next one came on the 18th, according to a release.
Another American Indian Sahith Theegala (69-67) was T-24.
He said: "It was great. I made a lot of quality shots. I went up and down when I needed to, apart from the 18, but other than that I played well. The wind was supposed to blow from the south and it was northeast most of the day, so It was pretty interesting how that happened.”
"I'm playing really well. I mean, that's why I'm playing, this is seven in a row for me, I just want to continue to build on good golf and learn as I go. I feel like I've been working really hard on my technique, especially this week, and I feel like my coach and I have found a feeling that works, so we're trying to build on that and focus on that as much as I can... ..
"There are so many trees protecting you, like 10, 11, 12, 13, it's so hot during that stretch. I mean, you can't feel a breath of wind. So when you're standing or waiting for your opponent to make a putt, you're dying. So it's definitely extreme, but it also makes the golf course a little easier," he added.
Seeking a fourth PGA TOUR victory, Kim continued his impressive form at TPC River Highlands to reach a career-low 36-hole score of 13-under 127, while staying ahead of his close friend and No. 1 of the world Scottie Scheffler (64). ), Collin Morikawa (63) and Akshay Bhatia (65), who are tied for second place at 129.
His compatriot Sungjae Im shot 64 to move into tied sixth place at nine under par, four back, in what is the eighth and final Signature event of the 2024 PGA TOUR season.
Leader Kim said: "I've been playing very, very solid. It's not about this week, it's about continuing to build these blocks of momentum for the rest of the season," explained Kim, who is competing in his eighth consecutive week at the TOUR.
His round was highlighted by five birdies in his first 10 holes, before his game cooled down the stretch. Not only was Kim's ball striking like a laser, as he missed only one fairway and one green, but his putting was equally impressive, where he three-putted for birdie from between 13 and 16 feet. If Kim is victorious on Sunday, he will become the first Asian winner in the tournament's history, eclipsing K.J. Choi's joint second place finish in 2014.
He attributed his good form to the extra time he spent on the course, even after his sublime performance in the first round, where he shot a season-low 62.
He is under no illusions that maintaining his lead will be easy with the quality of the chasing group, led by Scheffler, who also celebrated his 28th birthday on Friday.
After struggling for most of the season, with a tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open being his only top 10 earlier this month, Kim stressed the importance of maintaining his form not only during this week, but for the rest of the season with the FedExCup playoffs looming, plus the Olympic Games and the Presidents Cup on the horizon as well.
Kim celebrated his 22nd birthday in style by shooting a 5-under 65 and remaining bogey-free for the second straight day.
Indian-American Bhatia, who shot 64 on the first day, added a 65 with seven birdies and two bogeys. He made two birdies on the first three holes and added more birdies on the sixth, eighth and ninth and then on the 15th and 17th. A bogey on the fifth was his first shot and the next one came on the 18th, according to a release.
Another American Indian Sahith Theegala (69-67) was T-24.
He said: "It was great. I made a lot of quality shots. I went up and down when I needed to, apart from the 18, but other than that I played well. The wind was supposed to blow from the south and it was northeast most of the day, so It was pretty interesting how that happened.”
"I'm playing really well. I mean, that's why I'm playing, this is seven in a row for me, I just want to continue to build on good golf and learn as I go. I feel like I've been working really hard on my technique, especially this week, and I feel like my coach and I have found a feeling that works, so we're trying to build on that and focus on that as much as I can... ..
"There are so many trees protecting you, like 10, 11, 12, 13, it's so hot during that stretch. I mean, you can't feel a breath of wind. So when you're standing or waiting for your opponent to make a putt, you're dying. So it's definitely extreme, but it also makes the golf course a little easier," he added.
Seeking a fourth PGA TOUR victory, Kim continued his impressive form at TPC River Highlands to reach a career-low 36-hole score of 13-under 127, while staying ahead of his close friend and No. 1 of the world Scottie Scheffler (64). ), Collin Morikawa (63) and Akshay Bhatia (65), who are tied for second place at 129.
His compatriot Sungjae Im shot 64 to move into tied sixth place at nine under par, four back, in what is the eighth and final Signature event of the 2024 PGA TOUR season.
Leader Kim said: "I've been playing very, very solid. It's not about this week, it's about continuing to build these blocks of momentum for the rest of the season," explained Kim, who is competing in his eighth consecutive week at the TOUR.
His round was highlighted by five birdies in his first 10 holes, before his game cooled down the stretch. Not only was Kim's ball striking like a laser, as he missed only one fairway and one green, but his putting was equally impressive, where he three-putted for birdie from between 13 and 16 feet. If Kim is victorious on Sunday, he will become the first Asian winner in the tournament's history, eclipsing K.J. Choi's joint second place finish in 2014.
He attributed his good form to the extra time he spent on the course, even after his sublime performance in the first round, where he shot a season-low 62.
He is under no illusions that maintaining his lead will be easy with the quality of the chasing group, led by Scheffler, who also celebrated his 28th birthday on Friday.
After struggling for most of the season, with a tie for fourth at the RBC Canadian Open being his only top 10 earlier this month, Kim stressed the importance of maintaining his form not only during this week, but for the rest of the season with the FedExCup playoffs looming, plus the Olympic Games and the Presidents Cup on the horizon as well.
