With another bogey-free round, Matti Schmid climbs to the top of the PGA Tour leaderboard at the World Wide Technology Championship.
Matti Schmid surged into the solo lead at the PGA Tour‘s World Wide Technology Championship after a stellar second round. Starting on the 10th hole at El Cardonal Golf Course, the 27-year-old German quickly found his rhythm with birdies on 10, 11, 14, 15, and 16, mixed with steady pars. “I don’t think I chipped at all today,” Schmid said. “I must have hit so many greens. Life out there was pretty relaxed.”
The highlight came at the 18th, where Schmid drained a tricky nine-meter eagle putt. “It was a really tough putt,” he explained. “I had to play it up the ridge and let it run down. I hit it a bit too hard, but the bag was in the way—sometimes you need a little luck.” He made the turn with a front-nine score of 29 and continued his momentum onto the front nine.
PGA Tour: Schmid fires bogey-free 63 to lead at 17-under
Schmid kept his card clean on the front nine, adding birdies on the par-5 1st and 5th holes, plus another on the 9th. His bogey-free 63 brought him to 17-under-par overall, putting him atop the leaderboard and boosting his chances of cracking the top 60 in the FedExCup standings. “I actually drove it better today than yesterday,” Schmid said. “The greens are big and undulated. You have to hit the right areas to get good birdie looks. I felt like I did that really well today.”
Unusually calm conditions in Cabo San Lucas allowed for low scoring. “It’s usually a lot windier here,” Schmid noted. “This year, you can get closer to the pins and make a few putts.”
Schmid eyes Signature Events as he builds momentum
Entering the week ranked 70th in the FedExCup, Schmid is targeting a spot inside the top 60 to qualify for the first two Signature Events of the season—high-prestige tournaments with big points. “We all know how important those events are,” he said. “You can earn a lot of points, and I want to compete against the best on the best courses. That’s been my goal for the fall series. You need a really good week—hopefully, this is mine.” Despite arriving slightly under the weather after a trip to Japan, Schmid feels refreshed and ready for the weekend.
Other Germans: Paul and Rosenmüller make cut, Jäger exits
Jeremy Paul carded a 68 on Friday with birdies on