Jeff Overton fired an eight-under
62 on Friday to take four-shot lead midway through The Greenbrier Classic.
Chasing his first PGA Tour win, Overton had eight birdies in a flawless round
and finished 36 holes on The Old White Course with a 14-under 126.
He moved past Boo Weekley, who collected seven birdies for a 63 earlier in the
day to post a 10-under 130.
First-round co-leader Erik Compton, the two-time heart transplant recipient,
followed his 63 with a 68 on Friday and slipped into a tie for third place
with Jimmy Walker (64) at nine-under 131.
Chris Stroud had a 63 and was tied with Aaron Baddeley (65), Briny Baird (65)
and Charles Howell III (67) at eight-under 132, while Jim Furyk (65) led a
large group at 133.
Overton parred his last four holes after going eight-under through the first
14 to briefly raise the possibility of shooting a 59.
Not that he was thinking about it.
Learning from two prior experiences this season where he allowed the thought
of shooting a 59 to creep into his head -- he missed the cut in both
tournaments -- Overton just concentrated on the shots in front of him.
"To be honest, as soon as I hit my driver on the first hole and I hit a good
wedge shot in there, I knew that I was gonna have a good round," he said. "I
was very confident with the way I was swinging my driver, and I knew if I
could continue just to put the ball in play and to keep balls in fairways, I
knew I was gonna have a good shot at a low number today."
He was the latest among a sudden surge of players who have flirted with
carding golf's magic number.
Paul Goydos had the fourth 59 in PGA Tour history on July 8 during the first
round of the John Deere Classic. Steve Stricker shot a 60 the same day, nearly
holing out for a 59.
Carl Pettersson shot a 60 during the third round of the Canadian Open last
Saturday, just missing a long birdie putt at the 18th hole that would have
given him a 59.
Overton's bid was all but stopped when he missed an eight-foot birdie putt at
No. 6 -- his 15th hole -- to leave him needing birdies on each of his last
three holes.
He parred all of them, settling for a career-low score on the PGA Tour.
"I don't really know when the last time I was playing with this much
confidence, I guess you could say," said Overton. "I'm also feeling very
comfortable."
Overton did most of his damage on the back nine -- his front nine -- by
collecting five birdies for a 31.
He made back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th, holing an 18-foot putt for
the first. But his real charge came with four consecutive birdies around the
turn, beginning with a three-foot putt at the 16th.
Overton got up-and-down from a bunker for birdie at the 17th, rolled in a
five-footer at the 18th and finished off the run with an approach inside three
feet at No. 1, taking a two-shot lead.
Even when things didn't bounce his way, Overton was able to escape trouble.
His tee shot at No. 3, a 205-yard par three, hit a sprinkler head and bounced
into a greenside bunker. But he blasted out to four feet and saved par.
Overton's last two birdies came at the fourth and fifth, on putts from 12 and
five feet.
"I'm hitting it well," he said. "If I can continue to drive it well, drive it
down the middle of the fairways, I feel like I'm pretty confident with my
game."
Although Overton has never won on tour, the 27-year-old has knocked on the
door several times already this season.
He was runner-up in New Orleans, tied for second place at the Byron Nelson,
shared third place at Colonial and took solo third at the AT&T National
earlier this month.
Those finishes -- in less than a three-month span -- have helped Overton earn
more than $2.4 million this season, placing him 10th on the PGA Tour money
list.
The money is nice, but Overton is looking for more.
"I would take a win over 100 [second-place finishes]. That's what it's all
about," he said. "It's about coming out here and playing, and for that given
week, being able to say you were the best in the world at something."
NOTES: The cut line fell at two-under 138 and Goydos, David Toms, Kenny Perry
and Jeff Maggert are among those who will miss the weekend...Overton's
previous career low was a 63 in the first round at Colonial in May...Matt
Every, who shared the 18-hole lead with Compton, had a 72 and dropped nine
shots back at five-under 135...This is the first year of this event.
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