Phichaksn Maichon takes one-shot lead into weekend at Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship

Charting the leader (stats entering week)

Phichaksn Maichon (T1/-8)

• First-round co-leader cards a 4-under 67 in the second round, highlighted by a hole-out for eagle on the par-4 16th from 110 yards
• Made a hole-in-one on the par-3 fifth with a 5-iron from 229 yards in the first round en route to a career-low bogey-free 8-under 63 (previous 18-hole career low: 64/three occurrences)
• First 36-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 32nd start (previous high 36-hole position: T5/2026 Blue Championship/finished T3; T5/2026 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker foundation/finished T21)
• Making his first career start at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship
• Second-year Korn Ferry Tour member finished No. 157 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List as a rookie
• Finished No. 6 in the 2025 PGA Tour University Ranking, earning membership for the remainder of the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour season
• Played four seasons at Texas A&M University (2021-25), where he earned four collegiate victories and finished solo second individually at the 2025 NCAA Championship
• Represented the International Team at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup
• Bangkok, Thailand native

Additional notes

• John Marshall Butler (T2/-11), who stands No. 48 on the 2026 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, is inside the top five through 36 holes for the fourth time this season, converting two of the three previous instances into top-10 finishes (T4/Visit Knoxville Open/finished T3; T1/AdventHealth Championship/finished T9).
• Brett White (T4/-9), who stands No. 126 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, birdies three of his final four holes (Nos. 15, 17, 18) en route to a 6-under 65 and establishes a new 36-hole high position (previous 36-hole high position: T10/2026 The Bahamas Great Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island; T10/2026 Memorial Health Championship presented by LRS).
• Sandy Scott (T4/-9), who finished runner-up at last week’s Simmons Bank Open, posts the low round of the day with a 7-under 64, making birdie on three of his final four holes (Nos. 15, 16, 18).
• Christiaan Maas (T4/-9), who finished No. 2 in the 2026 PGA Tour University ranking, logs a new 36-hole high position (previous 36-hole high position: T10/2026 Memorial Health Championship/finished T19).
• The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship is the second of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events; the top 100 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List upon conclusion of this week’s final round will qualify for the Compliance Solutions Championship.
  • 11 players who began the week outside the top 100 on the Points List made the cut:
    • No. 132 Russell Knox (T52/-3)
    • No. 129 Brett Stegmaier (T52/-3)
    • No. 128 RJ Manke (T63/-2)
    • No. 126 Brett White (T4/-9)
    • No. 125 Sebastian Cappelen (T63/-2)
    • No. 123 Filip Jakubcik (T38/-4)
    • No. 118 Brandon Berry (T9/-7)
    • No. 109 Blaine Hale Jr. (T9/-7)
    • No. 108 Theo Humphrey (T23/-5)
    • No. 106 Luke Potter (T38/-4)
    • No. 102 Christiaan Maas (T4/-9)