Chris Kirk shot the third-lowest round since the tournament moved to PGA National 17 years ago; Justin Suh's 64 saw him lead by one; Ben Taylor is tied for third after a 65; early coverage continues Saturday from 1.30pm on Sky Sports Golf ahead of full coverage from 6pm
Saturday 25 February 2023 00:36, UK
Chris Kirk shot the third-best round in the Honda Classic since it moved to PGA National, but still trailed Justin Suh at the top of the leaderboard after Friday’s round.
Kirk shot an eight-under-par 62 in the second round, with only Brian Harman (2012) and Matt Jones (2021) having carded lower since PGA National began hosting this tournament 17 years ago.
The 37-year-old had an eagle and six birdies in his round, hitting 16 greens and taking advantage of no wind blowing in the morning, which is a rarity at this course, although it was still not enough to overhaul Suh at the top of the overnight leaderboard.
"Usually we're playing for 15 or 20-plus yards of hurt going into the wind shots, and 15, 20 yards of help on downwind shots," Kirk said.
"It's really difficult to get those just right when it's really windy. But today there was hardly a breath most of the round, and so it became a little bit more target practice."
Suh (64) had four consecutive birdies on holes eight to 11, rolling in putts from five, 15, 25 and 30 feet in that span, to post a 36-hole total of a 10-under 130.
"I think we've been trending in the right direction," Suh said. "Every week I've been improving and just certain spots, and I think it's gratifying just to see the progressive work pay off."
England's Ben Taylor (65) and Ryan Gerard (63) were tied for third at eight-under, with Ben Martin (64), Eric Cole (66) and Brice Garnett (64) all another shot back.
Shane Lowry shot his second consecutive 68, highlighted by a 57-foot birdie putt on the par-three 17th, with his ball staying on-line even after rolling over another player's marker on its way to the hole.
Gerard was a Monday qualifier for the Honda Classic. This only his second PGA Tour event as a professional, and his first where he made the cut.
"I wouldn't want to be doing anything else," Gerard said. "This is my dream ever since I was a little kid, just playing PGA Tour events.
"I'm still on the road there, not officially made it yet, but I just really enjoy playing golf. I love everything about it. I love the competition. I love challenging myself. I love playing against the best players and seeing how I stack up."
Joseph Bramlett and Billy Horschel, who both shot 65 on Thursday to be in a tie for the lead, both shot 73 on Friday to drop down to a nine-way tied for 28th.
Watch the Honda Classic throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues Saturday with early coverage from 1.30pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of full coverage from 6pm.
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