NEWS

Haas, Prugh and Carballo share Price Cutter Championship lead after Day 2

By Joe Chemycz
Published on
Haas, Prugh and Carballo share Price Cutter Championship lead after Day 2

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The rains stopped long enough in southwest Missouri on Friday to get a full day of golf in at the Web.com Tour’s 24th annual Price Cutter Charity Championship, but the tournament is still trying to catch up from a lengthy rain delay on Thursday morning.

Hunter Haas (65), Alex Prugh (63) and Miguel Carballo (65) moved into a share of the clubhouse lead at 12-under 132, though half the field has yet to complete the second round.

Andrew Loupe (68) is two shots back, while Skip Kendall (69) and Ariel Canete (63) are at 9 under and three back.

Of those still on the course, Daniel Chopra is 10 under par through 13 holes.

The trio of leaders is paced by Haas, the 2010 champion who is looking for a way to bottle the Highland Springs Country Club course and take it with him.

“It sets up well for me and I’m comfortable here,” said Haas, who is 9-for-9 in cuts made at the PCCC. “It just seems to come when I come here. I don’t know how to explain it.”

It’s the adage about horses for courses and this one belongs to Haas.

“To score under par, this is probably my best course on tour,” said Haas, who has been under par in 32 of his 34 total rounds. “I’m surprised it took so long to win. That sounds kind of arrogant, but I just felt like I was close many times.”

Haas and Prugh were paired together and combined for one eagle, 14 birdies and no bogeys.

“You definitely feed off of each other,” said Prugh, who hit 17 greens in regulation. “You’re seeing good shots. You’re seeing people get up-and-down for par. You’re seeing putts drop in. There’s definitely a vibe there. It’s fun seeing the ball go in the hole.”

Prugh had a blast watching his ball disappear Friday. The former University of Washington All-American ran off an eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie stretch at the turn and was 9 under through 14 holes.

“Fortunately I’m seeing the lines and putting well,” he said. “I knew that I was putting well and knew that I didn’t have to hit it close. Just get me on the green and I’ll take my chances.”

Prugh had four chances for birdies on his final four holes, but couldn’t get any of them to drop and had to settle for a 63 that matched his career-low round.

First-Round Notes:

--The first round resumed on time at 8:00 a.m. and concluded at 12:37 p.m.

--Lee Bedford withdrew during the round due to a neck injury.

--Reid Edstrom was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. He signed for a par-4 on No. 10 when he actually had a bogey-5. Edstrom signed for 70 when he shot 71.

--St. John’s University grad Andy Svoboda came back Friday morning and played his final 10 ½ holes in 4 under to take the 18-hole lead by one stroke. Svoboda is struggling during his rookie season the PGA Tour. He has made only four cuts in 17 starts, his best finish is a tie for 47th at the Zurich Classic and he’s No. 209 in the FedExCup standings. This is Svoboda’s fourth start at Highland Springs CC. He missed the cut in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

--This is the first time on the Web.com Tour that Svoboda has held the outright lead after 18 holes. He shared the opening-round lead at the 2010 Miccosukee Championship (8-under 63) and the 2012 Albertsons Boise Open (9-under 62).

--Monday qualifier Michael Schachner birdied three of his final four holes to finish off a 7-under 65. The 2008 graduate of Duke University survived a 14-man playoff for three spots to get into the field. The playoff wasn’t completed until Tuesday morning. Schachner, a two-time All-American, was in the final group off the tee Thursday at 7:40 p.m. and completed only two holes before darkness. He made pars on both of his first two when play was halted.

--University of Missouri grad Peter Malnati posted a 5-under 67 in the opening round. Malnati, 26, has made the cut in four of five starts this year, though he currently has no status on the Web.com Tour. Malnati has finished in the top-25 in each those cuts made. He entered the week with $45,442 and No. 87 on the money list.

--Defending champion Chris Wilson opened with a 1-under 71.

--Brice Garnett of Gallatin, Mo. shot a 2-under 70. Gallatin is approximately 210 miles north of Springfield. Garnett is a 2008 graduate of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, which is about 55 miles west of Gallatin (and north of Kansas City).

--Brian Prouty had a pair of eagles on par 5s. Prouty made eagles at Nos. 11 and 18. He shot a 68.

--The course record at Highland Springs Country Club is 60. Tyler Williamson posted his 12-under total in the final round in 2004.

Second-Round Notes:

--The second round started at 11:40 a.m., and was halted at 7:55 p.m. It will resume at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

--The lowest 36-hole score in tournament history is 16-under 128. Joe Ogilvie set the mark in 2003 and it has been matched by Troy Matteson (2005), Boo Weekley (2006) and Chad Collins (2009).

--First-round leader Andy Svoboda carded an even-par 72 in the second round and is at 8-under (tied for eighth).

--It’s no surprise that Hunter Haas is near the top of the leaderboard thus far. Haas, the 2010 champion, is making his ninth career start in this event and he is now a perfect 9-for-9 in making the cut. He’s now has completed 34 rounds at Highland Springs CC and he has posted sub-par scores 32 times. His career scoring average is 68.67. This is his first start at the PCCC since his victory three years ago.

--Haas has made the cut in 10 of 13 previous starts this year and has a pair of top-10 finishes to his credit – a tie for seventh at the United Leasing Championship and a tie for sixth at the Albertsons Boise Open. He is No. 52 on the money list.

--Alex Prugh has made the cut in eight of his previous 16 starts this year. He had a hot stretch earlier this summer when he tied for second at the Mexico Open, tied for sixth at the Mid-Atlantic Championship and finished third at the Air Capital Classic in consecutive weeks. He is No. 14 on the money list.

--Prugh’s 63 tied his career-low round on tour. He fired an 8-under 63 in the first round of the Air Capital Classic earlier this summer.

--Miguel Carballo has made the cut in 11 of 18 starts this year. He tied for seventh at the WNB Golf Classic in mid-April and tied for fifth at the Stadion Classic at UGA in early May. He has not finished better than tied for 49th in his last nine starts and is No. 49 on the money list.

--The Web.com Tour returns to Knoxville, Tenn., for next week’s News Sentinel Open. The tournament will be held at the Fox Den Country Club.