Erik Barnes takes outright 36-hole lead at Huntsville Championship

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Following a 5-under 65 in Friday’s second round of the Huntsville Championship, Erik Barnes took the outright 36-hole lead at 11-under par. It marks the second 36-hole lead for Barnes on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, and he remains the only player on Tour to make the cut in all 10 tournaments this season.

“To be honest with you, this is the one I was worried about,” Barnes said of his streak of made cuts. “I did not play very well on this golf course last year. The way I kind of felt coming into the week about my golf swing made me a little nervous. But it feels great to make another cut and to be in contention and be able to put myself in this position hopefully after tomorrow.”

Barnes, who moved to Birmingham, Alabama during the offseason, began the second round at The Ledges with a birdie at the par-4 first, the same hole he double bogeyed in the first round. The 34-year-old Austin Peay University alum also birdied the par-4 second and par-3 fifth on the front nine, but one of those birdies was negated by a bogey at the par-4 sixth. Barnes tallied four more birdies on the back nine (Nos. 10, 11, 13, 15), but bogeyed the par-4 18th hole, which left him with a 5-under 65.

“I feel good. Obviously a little frustrated with bogeying the last hole there,” Barnes said. “I hit a good tee shot, just went too far. Putting's been good all week. I don't feel good tee to green, but once I get on the green, I feel great. Hopefully I can clean that up a little bit the next two days and make it a little easier on myself.”

Entering the weekend at 11-under, Barnes sits one stroke ahead of Harrison Endycott in solo second and three strokes ahead of Quade Cummins in solo third. Barnes recently held the outright 36-hole lead at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Club earlier this month, but he played the weekend at 1-over par and settled for a T7 finish.

Off the strength of four top-10s this season, already tied for his highest single-season total on Tour, Barnes currently sits 14th on the Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List. Barnes, who plays from Marion, Indiana, has a top-10 in each month thus far, finishing T4 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club in January, T5 at The Panama Championship in February, a T5 at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS in March, and the aforementioned T7 at the Club Car Championship at The Landings Club this month.

With a win this week, Barnes would surpass the 900-point threshold the Korn Ferry Tour is currently using as its fail-safe threshold for players to finish among The 25 and earn a PGA TOUR card at regular season’s end.

“Last year, I was really close coming down the stretch,” said Barnes, who finished No. 31 on the 2020-21 Korn Ferry Tour Regular Season Points List. “I think I was 26th or 27th with two or three events left to go. It would mean everything. It's a lifestyle change. Not necessarily that we would change our lifestyle, but the opportunity changes immensely. Just to be able to have that to provide for my family would be incredible.”

Barnes, who is making his 161st career start this week, has been on the Korn Ferry Tour since 2015, finishing top 75 in the regular season four times (2015, 2016, 2018, and 2020-21), including a career-high 31st last season. Also of note last season, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Barnes stocked shelves as a Grocery Replenishment Specialist at Publix to help support his family financially.

Third-round tee times will run from 6:50 a.m. through 12:37 p.m. local time off the first tee.