Chase Johnson and Chip McDaniel carded matching 63s to earn a share of the lead after the first round of the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper.
The duo lead six players by one stroke entering the second round at Highland Springs Country Club.
The last time Johnson carded a 63, it was to rise to a runner-up finish during the final round at the 2020 TPC Colorado Championship at Heron Lakes, effectively launching his career on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Starting at the 10th, Johnson spread three birdies across his first eight holes, but hit the gas beginning at the par-5 18th. Johnson birdied six consecutive holes from Nos. 18-5 before closing with four pars for a 63.
“No. 11 was where I noticed the difference today,” reflected Johnson. “In previous starts when I would make a stupid mistake like that where you three-putt, I can normally feel the blood start to rush and get a little anxious. But I just kind of brushed it off. I did come in this week with the mindset to have more fun with it because you can’t play good golf if you’re stressed. That’s my mindset for the week, to enjoy it.”
Inside the top-10 in driving distance, Johnson’s length off the tee is consistently an advantage. But on Thursday, Johnson credited some early scrambling pars as the catalyst for his round.
“There was about a nine-footer for par on 14 that I made and a six-footer for par on 15 that I made,” said Johnson. “Those par putts on my first nine kicked the momentum forward and then I made about a 25-footer for birdie on 16 after I hit the pin and it ricocheted back about 25 feet away.”
While Johnson did his damage in the morning wave, McDaniel made his run late, competing in the penultimate tee time of the day.
“I put a new putter in the bag and made a 20-footer on the first hole for eagle,” laughed McDaniel. “That gave me some confidence and after that I just took it one shot at a time and tried to hit the center of the face…It was nice to see some go in.”
Both Johnson (102) and McDaniel (109) rank outside the top-100 in the season-long points standings with three tournament (including this one) remaining. The top-25 players in the standings earn PGA TOUR membership for the 2021-22 season, while the top-75 players retain their Korn Ferry Tour status in 2022.
“I definitely have to put the pedal down; it’s in the back of the mind for sure, but at this point I know what I have to do,” said McDaniel. “I just have to play really well. I have to get in contention and maybe close the deal. But it does me no good to put pressure on myself or think about it all the time. But it is in the back of my mind. It’s like Mike Miller said a couple of weeks ago, ‘You’re playing for your job.’ It’s nothing easy.”
McDaniel’s 63 also matches a career-best, tying an 8-under 63 in the second round of the 2021 Veritex Bank Championship.
Six players sit one stroke off the lead, including defending tournament champion Max McGreevy and Roberto Diaz, who broke through earlier this year with his first win at the 2021 Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS.
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current NFL on CBS analyst Tony Romo carded an even-par 72 and sits T119 after the first round
The second round will run from 7 a.m. to 2:26 p.m. off of the first and 10th tees at Highland Springs Country Club.
(Press Release from Korn Ferry Tour PR)
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