Kevin Yu Leads Trace Crowe at Austin Championship as Play Halted

Kevin Yu carded another 6-under 66 during the second round of the Austin Championship on Friday, setting the clubhouse pace in Austin, Texas, as darkness halted play for the second straight day.

Yu sits at 12-under 132 after finishing his round with two steady par putts, holding a narrow advantage over the chasing pack at Omni Barton Creek. Yet the FedEx Cup Fall standings remain the primary source of pressure for players scrambling to secure their cards before the PGA Tour season wraps up next week at Sea Island on the Georgia coast.

“If you think about it, it’s definitely a lot of pressure,” Yu said regarding the standings. “But on the golf course pressure’s not going to do anything good to you. I’m trying to just be myself on the course, try to hit good golf shots. If I just keep hitting good golf shots, the good golf is going to take care of itself.”

Trace Crowe, who led after 18 holes, reached 13 under before fading light suspended Friday’s afternoon session. Crowe faced a 55-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th hole when tournament officials halted play until Saturday morning.

Golf fazio canyonscourtesy omni barton creek exp jan

Crowe’s momentum hit a snag on the 15th hole, where he went 32 holes without a bogey before driving into the rough, sending his approach well over the green, and missing a par putt from outside 20 feet. He finishes with a par 5 on Saturday, while the tour is hopeful Saturday will finish on time with a smaller field after the cut.

Meanwhile, Brian Harman posted a 66 to reach 11-under 133, matching Kristoffer Ventura, who signed for a 67. Both players already hold locked status for the 2027 season, unlike players near the top-100 cutoff who face uncertainty.

The 36-hole cut projected to fall at 4-under 140, placing players like Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Davis Thompson squarely on the bubble with only two events remaining on the 2026 schedule. Chris Kirk, starting the week at No. 102, was certain to miss the cut.

Further down the leaderboard, teenage contenders captured attention as high-variance rounds shaped the middle tier. Blades Brown, the 19-year-old winner in Mexico last week, struggled early on the back nine after driving into the trees for a double bogey followed by a bogey, but he recovered with three birdies over his final five holes to salvage a 70 and reach 9-under 135.

Fellow teenager Miles Russell was still on the course when the horn blared. The high school senior from Florida made five straight birdies, moving to 4 under for the day and 9 under overall with three holes left to play.

Play resumes Saturday morning at Omni Barton Creek to complete the second round, with the top 100 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings chasing full status for 2027.