BEACHWOOD, Ohio – Overnight leader Kramer Hickok maintained his lead after 36 holes at the DAP Championship presented by NewBrick with a 3-under 67 in Friday’s second round. The Texan posted a 36-hole total of 10-under 130 at historic Canterbury Golf Club, one stroke clear of Stephan Jaeger.

Following up his T14 finish last week, the highest of any player who has already clinched his PGA TOUR card, Hickok has followed up his performance with a flurry of birdies in the first two rounds at Canterbury. The 26-year-old tied the course record on Thursday with his first-round, 7-under 63.

“Anytime you birdie the last couple of holes like I did yesterday, it gives you a lot of confidence moving into the next round,” Hickok said. “Today’s round, I struck it just about as good or maybe even better than yesterday … I think I showed a lot of poise and a lot of patience and just kept hitting my putts on a line and kept telling myself they were going to drop until finally they did on the last couple.”

Hickok, who started his round off No. 10, birdied his final two holes to maintain his lead. The hot start is reminiscent of last week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, where Hickok sat in solo second after 36 holes.

Beginning the Web.com Tour Finals at No. 23 on the combined money list, Hickok rose to No. 13 after last week’s top-15 finish and is poised for another jump this week.

“I think just being there in contention, that’s all you can do,” Hickok said. “I can’t control what anyone else does; I can only control what I do. That’s been my whole goal this week. Someone can go shoot 8- or 9-under, but my goal is to just keep plugging away and put myself in contention to win.”

Hickok had a stellar 2017 season on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada, where he secured two wins and three runner-up finishes. He ultimately earned the Order of Merit title and gained fully exempt status on the Web.com Tour in 2018.

“Certainly, it would be nice to get a win, and it would be nice to be able to look back and know that I can win on this stage and win on the Mackenzie Tour, but just putting myself there …” Hickok said. “I think the more you do that, the more chances you have.”

Jaeger carded six birdies, including on both of the par-5s, to challenge the lead late in the afternoon. The 29-year-old has played the two par-5s at a combined 5-under through 36 holes, highlighted by Thursday’s eagle on No. 16.

“I made a couple of longer putts and hit a lot of greens,” Jaeger said. “Just solid overall. I can’t really pinpoint any aspect of my game that’s better than anything else. I’m driving the ball in the fairway, I’m hitting a lot of greens and making a few putts. Overall it’s just a solid couple of days.”

Jaeger rose to fame at the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae with a 58 in the first round. He went on to earn his first Web.com Tour victory at the event, seven shots clear of second place. The University of Tennessee – Chattanooga alum has four career Web.com Tour victories, including the 2018 Knoxville Open. Even with proven success in closing out wins on the Web.com Tour and previous experience on the PGA TOUR, Jaeger expressed anticipation for an exciting weekend.

“I still get nervous; I’m going to be nervous this weekend,” Jaeger said. “I’m going to do my best. I feel comfortable most of the time, but every day is different. You never know if you’re going to wake up and have your swing feel funny … I know what I need to do before and after the round to get ready, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Sangmoon Bae birdied three of his last five holes to tie the course record at 7-under 63 and sits solo third at 8-under 132. Bobby Wyatt originally set the course record during the first round in 2016, while Hickok matched the mark on Thursday.

Canterbury Golf Club, perennially one of the toughest golf courses on the Web.com Tour, was the site of Jack Nicklaus’ 12th major title, the 1973 PGA Championship. The course has ranked as the third toughest on Tour by scoring average in each of the past two years.