Gary Woodland sits atop the leaderboard at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on the PGA Tour after firing a second-round 63, while Nicolai Højgaard posted the day’s lowest round to close the gap.
Gary Woodland moved to the top of the leaderboard at the Texas Children’s Houston Open after a second consecutive round in the 60s. The American carded an eight-birdie, one-bogey 63 on Friday, bringing his 36-hole total to 127 — the clubhouse lead heading into the weekend.
The best round of the day, however, belonged to Denmark’s Nicolai Højgaard. Starting on hole 1, the Dane rattled in seven birdies and added an eagle at the par-5 third, where he carded a 3, to sign for a 62. That left him at 130 overall and tied for second alongside American Jackson Suber, who also shot a bogey-free 63 — seven birdies, no dropped shots — starting from hole 10.
PGA Tour: A congested leaderboard in Houston
Min Woo Lee and Jason Day, both from Australia, are tied for fourth at 131. Day turned in a clean bogey-free 63 with seven birdies, while Lee matched that score with five birdies and an eagle at the par-5 16th, where he holed out for a 3, also without a single bogey.
Among the American contingent, Michael Thorbjornsen produced one of the tidier rounds of the day — six birdies, no bogeys, a 64 — to sit tied sixth. Sam Stevens was equally consistent, posting a 65 with six birdies and just one bogey to join him at that position. Sam Ryder carded a 65 as well, helped by an eagle at the par-5 third, while Jake Knapp also reached the par-5 third in two for an eagle on his way to a 65, placing both at tied 11th alongside Keith Mitchell, who made six birdies in a 66, and Chad Ramey, who piled up six birdies in a 67 but dropped three shots along the way.
England’s Matt Wallace signed for a solid 68 — three birdies, one bogey — to join the group at tied 11th on 134. Compatriot Harry Hall also posted a 67, four birdies against one bogey, to sit tied 33rd.
Among the biggest movers of the day, Max McGreevy climbed 83 positions with a bogey-free 63 — seven birdies — to move inside the top 25. Peter Malnati also caught the eye with a bogey-free 64, gaining 60 spots.
The day’s most difficult hole was the par-4 14th, which played to an average of 4.28 and collected 40 bogeys from the 134 players who competed. The par-5 third was the field’s great equalizer in the other direction, playing nearly two-thirds of a shot under par and yielding 84 birdies and multiple eagles — Højgaard, Ryder, Knapp, Vince Whaley, Brice Garnett and Danny Walker all eagled that hole during the round.
Rickie Fowler was among the notable fallers, dropping 85 places after a difficult 73 that included double bogeys at both the par-3 second and par-3 ninth. England’s Marco Penge slipped 79 positions with a 73 that featured double bogeys at holes 10 and 16.
For the German contingent, Stephan Jaeger posted a steady 69 — three birdies, two bogeys — to sit tied 20th on 135. Matti Schmid carded a 69 as well, with five birdies offset by two bogeys and a double bogey at the par-4 14th, leaving him tied 33rd on 136.
Two rounds remain at the Texas Children’s Houston Open on the PGA Tour, with Woodland holding a three-shot advantage over the chasing group.
This article was created with the help of AI and editorially reviewed.