By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Nathan Tyler fired a 6-under 65 on Friday and jumped in front by a pair of strokes through two rounds of the Air Capital Classic.
Tyler birdied four of his final five holes at Crestview Country Club to end 36 holes at 10-under-par 132.
"It's great," said Tyler, who began the second round four shots back. "This is my first tournament out here this year. I'm happy to be here and hope to keep it going on the weekend."
First-round leader Alex Prugh stumbled to a 71 and dropped into a share of second place at 8-under with Jace Long, who carded a 63 -- the low round of the day.
Kevin Tway fired a 65 and jumped into a share of fourth place. He is joined at 7-under by Danny Lee (66), Scott Parel (66), Peter Malnati (67), Bhavik Patel (67) and Steve Wheatcroft (68).
Kyle Reifers (69), Sung Kang (68) and Eric Axley (70) are tied for 10th at 6- under.
Michael Putnam finished 36 holes at 3-over-par 145 and failed to make the cut. He had won the previous two tournaments on the Web.com Tour and could have earned an instant promotion to the PGA Tour with a victory at this event.
Prugh went off in the morning, from the 10th tee, and opened with eight straight pars before moving to 9-under on the tournament with a birdie at the par-5 18th.
Around the turn, Prugh reached 10-under with another gain at the fourth, but he slipped back to 8-under courtesy of bogeys at Nos. 6 and 9.
"I kept giving myself good opportunities but it felt like there was saran wrap over the cup," he said. "I hit them on the lines I wanted to they just didn't go in. Sometimes they do that."
Prugh still had the lead when he hit the clubhouse, but Tyler teed off in the afternoon from No. 1 and gradually worked his way to the top.
The former Arizona Wildcat had three birdies, including two straight from the sixth, against a single bogey over his first nine holes to make the turn at 6- under for the tournament.
He opened his inward nine with four straight pars before catching fire down the stretch. A hatrick of birdies from the 14th initiated Tyler's scorching run and gave the Air Capital Classic a new leader at 9-under.
After a par at No. 17, Tyler birdied the last, extending his advantage to a pair of strokes.
"It's just an easier nine for me; maybe the holes fit my eye better," he said of Crestview's closing nine. "There are a lot of birdies on that side so I just need to survive the front nine and take care of the back nine."
NOTES: Tyler received a sponsor's invite to play this week ... Long's 63 marked the lowest score recorded by a Monday qualifier on the Web.com Tour this season ... Prugh is coming off back-to-back top-six finishes at the Mid-Atlantic Championship and Mexico Championship ... Entering this tournament, Putnam had finished in the top five in four of his previous five events.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/tyler-jumps-ahead-by-2-at-air-capital-classic