Julián Etulain sets course record, Kevin Dougherty and Evan Harmeling share 36-hole lead at Savannah Golf Championship

SAVANNAH, Georgia – Kevin Dougherty and Evan Harmeling set the 36-hole tournament record at 13-under 131 to share the lead at the Savannah Golf Championship, while Argentina’s Julián Etulain set a course record with a 10-under 62 to sit one shot off the pace. The cut fell at 6-under with 76 players advancing to the weekend at The Landings Club – Deer Creek Course.

Playing in his first Savannah Golf Championship, Harmeling’s round was highlighted by an eagle on the par-4 first hole, where he holed out from 110 yards. It marked his second eagle of the week, following an eagle on the par-4 seventh hole on Thursday.

“I pulled the drive and I was just through the pine straw in the left rough,” said the 32-year-old. “I had about 110 yards and it kind of knuckled out of the rough. It landed on the side slope and it kicked and rolled in perfectly. It was pretty crazy.”

Harmeling held a two-stroke lead with one hole left to play in the second round but stumbled with a double bogey on his final hole to finish at 13-under.

Joining Harmeling in Saturday’s final group will be Dougherty. The 29-year-old followed up a 7-under 65 in the first round with a bogey-free 6-under 66. The Oklahoma State University product is seeking his first top-10 finish in his 18th start of the season.

“I’m driving it really well and I’ve really converted a lot of putts,” Dougherty mentioned. “I changed up my practice routine a little bit and went to using the eyeline mirror to get my setup really consistent. That’s helped me see my line a lot better.”

With his wedding around the corner however, Dougherty will leave with a smile on his face, no matter how he finishes this week in Savannah.

“I actually haven’t seen my fiancée in two months and we’re getting married next week, so that’ll be nice on Sunday to get home and see her,” said the California native. “There’s always going to be golf tournaments, but there’s only going to be one wedding in your life, so it’s pretty fun.”

During his rookie season on the Korn Ferry Tour, Dougherty finished $1,923 short of his first PGA TOUR card at the 2018 WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by KraftHeinz. Needing a birdie on the 72nd hole, his attempt fell inches short of the cup, causing the California native to fall to his knees. He currently sits No. 134 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list.

“It’s a marathon not a sprint,” Dougherty commented. “We have all next year, so there’s no panic or anything. I’ll just keep doing what I know how to do and it’s all going to work out.”

Playing in the morning wave, Etulain posted a 10-under 62 to set the course record and sits one stroke back at 12-under 132 with five others. His bogey-free round was highlighted by five straight birdies on Nos. 14-18. A day prior, Andrew Dorn briefly held the course record with a 9-under 63 to take the first-round lead.

“It was a good day,” said Etulain. “I hit the ball very well and I hit a lot of fairways and a lot of greens. I think the difference between today and the rest of the season was around the greens. I made a lot of good putts so I’m very happy with that.”

The 32-year-old from Buenos Aires only needed 23 putts to complete his round and was perfect in Scrambling, getting up-and-down four-of-four times.

“I don’t use the green reading books anymore,” Etulain said. “I try to read the greens myself. I think that’s helped me a lot. I like to play on Bermuda. I live in Miami, so normally, I practice on Bermuda. I feel much better on these greens.”

Whee Kim recorded his second ace of the season on the par-3 second hole from 189 yards with a 5-iron en route to a 6-under 66 to sit T24.

Third-round tee times will run from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday with players teeing off No. 1.