Round 2 complete: Malnati maintains lead, Hammer makes cut

HOUSTON – The second round of the Houston Open was completed Saturday morning, with Peter Malnati holding a two-shot lead, amateur Cole Hammer making the cut and Tyler Duncan suffering a calamity on the final hole in the final group.

A total of 59 players finished their second round after play was suspended for darkness Friday at the Golf Club of Houston, thanks to a two-hour weather delay earlier in the day. Malnati had already completed his round as one of the earlier finishers, reaching 10 under after his bogey-free 7-under 65.

He’ll take a two-shot lead over Sepp Straka, Talor Gooch and Scott Harrington into the third round, which will be played off two tees in threesomes in hopes of getting back on schedule. Malnati, Straka and Gooch are in the final threesome teeing off at 2 p.m. ET.

It’s only the second time in Malnati’s PGA TOUR career that he has held the lead after any of the first three rounds; he also led the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship after the second round. Malnati’s lone win on TOUR came four years ago at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Hammer, the University of Texas sophomore from Houston playing this week on a sponsor exemption, was among the 20 players making the cut on the number at even par. Hammer finished up a 5-over 77 on Saturday after opening with a 67. Hammer’s only previous PGA TOUR start came as a 15-year-old at the 2015 U.S. Open when he missed the cut.

Duncan was safely inside the cut line at 2 under after rolling in a 52-1/2 foot birdie putt at the 17th before misfortune struck at the par-4 18th, which yielded just one birdie in the second round and is playing as the toughest hole on the course this week.

Duncan’s tee shot found the intermediate rough near the right-side fairway bunkers. He followed that with a shot landing in the water that guards the left side of the hole. He then three-putted, missing a bogey attempt from inside 5 feet, for a double bogey that left him at 1 over and outside the cutline.

Another player missing the cut was Henrik Stenson, playing for the first time this week with a new 3-wood.

Rich Beem, playing his first non-PGA Championship tournament since 2014, made the cut at 4 under and is tied for 17th. Current FedExCup leader Sebastian Munoz was among those making the cut at even par.