English golfer Aaron Rai shot a 4-under-par 67 during Friday’s second round to capture a one-shot advantage heading into the weekend at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina.
Rai stands among the few players in this alternate tournament – running opposite to this week’s Truist Championship – who has already secured a spot in next week’s PGA Championship. The tournament victor will receive automatic qualification for the major championship if they haven’t already earned their way in.
Beginning his round at the 10th tee, the English player managed just 1-under on his opening nine holes before catching fire on the front side. He recorded four birdies across his first seven holes on the front nine before closing with consecutive pars to reach 10-under 132 for the tournament.
Despite holding the highest world ranking among competitors at No. 42, Rai emphasized the importance of not taking anything for granted at Dunes Golf and Beach Club.
“Everyone starts at the same playing field on Thursday, and everyone who is in this field is good enough to win. No one has any rights to walk in and play well and compete,” Rai said. “Just try to approach it as I would any tournament. Prepare as well as I can and, yeah, just run through as many good routines as I can during the week.”
Trailing by a single shot at 9-under are Brandt Snedeker, who posted a bogey-free 66, and Mark Hubbard, who carded a 67. Snedeker’s round featured five birdies without a blemish, while Hubbard battled through an uneven front nine with three bogeys and three birdies before surging with four birdies on the back nine, including back-to-back birdies on holes 9-12.
“Overall just found something in my putting,” Hubbard said. “I wasn’t really feeling that great early with it. Then just kind of found a little setup cue that turned things around and gained some confidence from there.”
Kevin Roy (66) and South African Christiaan Bezuidenhout (67) complete the top five at 8-under par.
Scotland’s Martin Laird, who held the first-round lead, struggled to a 4-over 75 on Friday and dropped into a tie for 30th place at 3-under.
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who played alongside Rai during both opening rounds, managed a 1-under second round and enters the weekend tied for 22nd at 4-under par.
