Day 2: Utah Local Blair Makes Cut At Black Desert Championship, Akina Waits On The Bubble
Oct 12, 2024, 12:09 AM | Updated: Oct 14, 2024, 3:06 pm
ST. GEORGE, UTAH- It was an eventful day two at the Black Desert Championship in St. George, Utah. The pressure was on throughout play on cut day, and unfortunately, more than a few local golfers saw their hopes for the weekend slip away. However, two Utahans are still representing the state as of Friday night. The dreaded cut line to be determined on Saturday morning will determine whether we see both of them or only one make a push for the top spot.
Play was once again suspended due to darkness as play stretched into the evening, stranding eight groups on the course. Although there are still loose ends to tie up in round two, all nine of the golfers with Utah ties were able to sign their scorecards before the sun went down. Cut day in St. George is still generating drama, and with weekend golf at stake, there was a lot to see at the Black Desert Resort on Friday.
Day Two At The Black Desert Championship
Golfers once again hit the course in sets of three starting at 7:40 a.m. MT. The leaderboard began to stretch as some players got hot while others dropped shots.
The unique landscape at Black Desert has become a challenge that no other stop on tour presents. Throughout the golf course is oddly shapen black lava rock. On most holes, a fairway miss means a funky bounce or risking the well-being of a club with an attempt to hit out of the rocks. We have seen slices bounce back into play and golf balls sliced open by sharp points among other irregularities over the course of the first two rounds.
The terrain that bites back 😬 pic.twitter.com/HpKSUINtUq
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 12, 2024
One golfer that found his groove was Stephan Jaeger who shot the days best round at -8, finding himself in sole possession of first place at -14 for the tournament. Jaeger posted only one bogey and a whopping nine birdies, including three in a row to start his day, allowing him to build momentum early. Stephan has put himself firmly in the driver’s seat entering the weekend.
Going low in the desert 🌵
Stephan Jaeger leads by one @BDChampionship. pic.twitter.com/7jYmbRSwXL
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 12, 2024
Ben Kohles also climbed the standings, shooting one better than yesterday’s 65 to finish Friday tied for second place. Kohles kept his scorecard clean, also bogeying only once. Kohles came into the clubhouse strong, birdieing three of his last five holes, earning a score of 64. Ben is tied with only Adam Svensson, the leader after day one.
Closing birdie for @Ben_Kohles 🐦
He finishes his Friday with a share of the lead @BDChampionship. pic.twitter.com/eZnnLYJfBe
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 12, 2024
Adam Svensson didn’t play poorly today but was unable to keep up with the pace of Kohles and Jaeger. Svensson Bogeyed twice but birdied four times, still staying two under part for the day. He will need rounds similar to his 60 on Thursday if he wants to lift the trophy on Sunday.
Locals At Day Two Of The Black Desert Championship
Of the nine local golfers in the field, a few made pushes to make the cut, but only two are still alive as of Friday night when play was suspended.
Here are the locals who missed the cut by a large margin:
Dustin Volk: The Utah Section Champion shot +6 on Friday to bring his total on the week to +15. Volk’s front nine was riddled with bogeys, stacking two double-bogeys as well, making a recovery on the back nine nearly impossible.
Jay Don Blake: Surrounded by friends and family, the St. George native ended his week earlier than he had hoped. Blake went +8 in round two with only a single birdie on the 12th hole.
Although he will not be playing this weekend, Jay Don expressed what participating in the championship in his birthplace has meant to him saying, “It was the roller coaster of emotions, and the biggest one is the joy to be part of this and to make it my 500th right here in St. George, can’t be any better.”
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Bowen Mauss: Bowen started his round only five back of the projected cut line, and a rally could have put him on the bubble. However, Mauss sunk twice as many bogeys than birdies as he watched the cut line move in the other direction. Even with a missed cut, it was a strong showing for the Corner Canyon senior making his PGA Tour debut.
Zac Jones: Zac had work to do on Friday after shooting a 76 in his first round. The current BYU Cougar started steady with two birdies and no bogeys on the front nine. Another birdie three holes into the back had Zac poised to make a push, but things unraveled in the home stretch with a double bogey on the 5th and a bogey on the 8th. Jones finished his week +4.
Peter Kuest: With play being suspended, Kuest will finish his last two holes on Saturday morning, but unfortunately will not have enough time to get himself back into contention to make the cut. Peter is currently even through 16 holes, canceling out a bogey and double bogey with three birdies. Kuest is currently +3, eight shots back of the projected cut line.
Mike Weir: After shooting -3 in his first round, Weir was in prime position to be on the right side of the cut entering play on Friday morning. However, things quickly started getting rocketed with an inconsistent front nine, featuring, three birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey. Two more bogeys on the back nine sealed Mike’s fate, leaving him at even par for the week.
Despite some poor finishes, there were three Utah locals that were flirting with the cut line throughout the day.
Patrick Fishburn: Patrick shot even par on Thursday making a push for the cut on Friday manageable. Fishburn came out of the gates flying with three birdies in his first six holes. Unfortunately, a double bogey and bogey to open the back nine wiped away all the progress he had made. Patrick made a push, birdieing his last three holes, but it was too little, too late. He finished his week -2.
Kihei Akina: The Lone Peak senior showed that he belonged with the pros as he didn’t let the pressure of the cut line get to him. Akina entered the day at -2, right at the initial projected line. Kihei waded his way through some choppy waters with three bogeys in the middle of his round, but he finished as well as anybody on the course with four birdies in his last eight holes. Akina is currently -4 with the projected cut line at -5. With play suspended, the cut is still subject to change and will not become official until second-round play wraps up on Saturday morning. It will likely be a long, sleepless night for the high schooler.
Zac Blair: Zac is the only local comfortably inside the cut line. A shaky start with two bogeys on the front nine put Blair in the pressure cooker, but a clean back nine and four birdies throughout his round was enough to get him to -5, punching his ticket to the weekend.
Round Three At The Black Desert Championship
Second-round play will resume Saturday morning at 8:15 a.m. MT. The final results will decide the cut line, and Kihei Akina will either be sent home or back onto the course for the two championship rounds.
Tee times and pairings for the third round will be released at the conclusion of the second round. Tune into Golf Channel from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. MT for coverage of the Black Desert Championship.
