Andrew Novak posted a 10-under 61 to take a three-shot lead in the Mexico Open after the second round in Vallarta, Mexico.
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Andrew Novak built his lead with an eagle and three birdies on his last four holes Friday, carding a 10-under 61 to match his low score on the PGA Tour.
The round gave him a three-shot advantage entering the finish of the Mexico Open.
Novak drove the reachable par-4 13th and holed a 12-foot eagle putt, and the race appeared to be between Novak and Ben Griffin before a turning point on the par-4 15th.
Griffin drove into the water on the 15th and had to scramble for a bogey, while Novak holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet for a two-shot swing.
Novak closed with a 20-foot birdie putt to finish at 14-under 128, three shots ahead of a group that included Griffin (67) and Kihei Akina.
Akina, the 20-year-old sophomore at BYU, shot 67 to record his ninth round of 67 or lower in his last four PGA Tour starts.
The group also included Matthieu Pavon (66), Adrien Dumont du Chassart (67) and Kensei Hirata of Japan (68).
Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., was four shots off the lead after a 67.
The conditions at Vidanta Vallarta supported scoring, with the average score for the opening two rounds roughly two shots below par, and the cut coming at 4-under 138.
Tony Finau missed the cut by one after a 71 that included a missed 6-foot birdie putt on his final hole, and U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark shot 73 as the only player from the world’s top 10 in the field who missed the weekend.
Novak, who reached the Tour Championship last year and is No. 89 in the FedEx Cup Fall, said he was going to keep hitting fairways and that if his irons played the way they did on the day, they would create opportunities.
He also said he believes a putter change made at Wyndham has shown up, turning his results toward good results when he is putting well.
Alvaro Ortiz, who grew up in Guadalajara, shot 68 after a double bogey at the 18th at the turn and was five shots behind heading into the final two rounds.
Ben Silverman (69) of Thornhill, Ont., and Corey Conners (67) of Listowel, Ont., were at 7-under par 135, while Adam Hadwin (65) of Abbotsford, B.C., and A.J. Ewart (66) of Coquitlam, B.C., were at 6 under.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju (72) of Mississauga, Ont., was at 4 under.
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