Chris Gotterup birdied six of his last eight holes, including four straight to close out his round of 64, to grab the solo lead after 36 holes at the inaugural Myrtle Beach Classic.
The third opposite-field event on the PGA Tour’s 2024 schedule is being held at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in South Carolina, where the 2022 Haskins Award winner went on a late tear, chipping to two-feet for a tap-in birdie on No. 15, sinking a six-footer for birdie on No. 16, draining a 50-footer for birdie on the par-3 17th and closing with a 17-foot birdie putt on 18.
“We were really just executing shots pretty solidly down the stretch there,” the former Oklahoma Sooner said. “It got pretty windy, so definitely a good finish for me today.”
Robert MacIntyre, tied for the lead after an opening 64, held the solo lead for the good part of Friday before Gotterup stormed up the leaderboard with his birdie onslaught. Still, MacIntyre shot 64-67 and is at 11 under, just a shot back. Should he hoist the trophy Sunday, MacIntyre would be the 16th left-handed golfer to win a PGA Tour event.
Jorge Campillo is solo third at 10 under and there are four golfers at 9 under, tied for fourth.
There have been six first-time winners in 2024. Twelve of the top 14 golfers on the leaderboard after 36 holes are seeking their first PGA Tour win.
Blades Brown, 16, a three-time boys golf individual state champion in Tennessee, made the cut in his PGA Tour debut. He shot 72-67 and finished 3 under, one better than the cutline of 2 under. He’s the latest youngster to make noise at the professional level.