Things are getting really interesting in Mexico.
Yes, Matt Kuchar is still the Mayakoba Classic eader after a second straight 64 on Friday.
But there’s a freight train running downhill behind him.
Cameron Champ, Sanderson Farms winner and the talked-about new player on the PGA Tour, is right behind him after the long-drive machine pounded out a nine-under par 62 in the second round to insert himself squarely in the hunt.
Kooch is in at 14-under, Champ’s 12-under and the two will play together on Saturday — Kuchar the 17-year veteran, Champ the up-and-coming rookie.
This, however is no two-man show. Defending champion Patton Kizzire is one of seven players in at 11-under. Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau are eight-under.
One huge name will not be around for the weekend — Jordan Spieth. Spieth missed the 36-hole cut after rounds of 71-69 left him two-under par, two shots short of the cut, which came at four-under. Spieth’s performance, or lack thereof, shows that he may not have fully recovered from the disappointments of last season.
After opening with a yawner of a round (70), Champ got it going on day two: “I was just flowing,” he said afterward. “I just kind of felt in the zone, really. I was just trying to execute each shot at a time.”
