Jake Knapp plays his shot from the sixth tee during the second round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
Jake Knapp has quickly become a fan-favorite and one of the best players to watch on the PGA Tour – and he’s once again in the mix.
After back-to-back 7-under 64s, Knapp leads and will play in the final group alongside Troy Merritt Saturday afternoon at TPC Craig Ranch.
His second round began with four straight pars, but then he got it rolling. He made birdies on Nos. 14, 16, 17 and 18 to close out his opening nine the course’s back nine to make the turn with a 4-under 31. After a bogey on the par-4 third, Knapp added four more birdies to his scorecard coming home and signed for 64.
Outside of his win at the Mexico Open, Knapp finished T-3 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T-4 at the Cognizant Classic, so he’s no stranger to being in contention.
“Feel comfortable. You know, I’ve been there before,” he said when asked about how he feels being in this position heading into the weekend. “Even Farmers (I) was around the lead, and Cognizant was around the lead there. Courses like this where scores are going to be low you don’t worry too much about what other guys are doing. You try to make a bunch of birdies.
“You know, it’s a course that fits me well, so if I just keep doing the things I’m doing I’ll be in a good spot.”