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IVINS, Utah -- Zach Bauchou birdied his last two holes Thursday for a career-best round of 9-under 62, giving him a one-shot lead on a day of low scoring at the Bank of Utah Championship.
With several players having set the pace at the Black Desert Resort, Bauchou holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and reached the 602-yard closing hole in two for a two-putt birdie from 25 feet and his first 18-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
Bauchou is at No. 86 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 at the end of the FedEx Cup Fall in November retain full cards for 2027. The Oklahoma State alum said he wasn't thinking about that.
Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada was the first of the nine players to post a 63. He is at No. 59 in the FedEx Cup, among those who are hopeful of a good fall to finish among the top 60 and be eligible for signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
Bailey wins amateur
NEKOOSA, Wis. -- Andrew Bailey took the lead for good with a birdie on the 23rd hole and played his final 17 holes without a bogey to defeat Nate Smith, 5 and 4, in the U.S. Mid-Amateur on Thursday and earn a spot in the Masters and U.S. Open next year.
Bailey was at the U.S. Open this summer at Shinnecock Hills, but as a national sales manager for Holderness & Bourne attire.
Smith led for most of the morning 18 holes, never more than 2 up, and Bailey caught him with a par on the 18th hole on The Lido at Sand Valley. They traded birdies on the opening two holes of the afternoon, and the 34-year-old Bailey, from Cleveland, began to pull away by winning three straight holes.
"I'm disappointed I didn't win, but at the same time, I didn't do anything to lose," said Smith, a 43-year-old home builder from Idaho. "He just played an exceptional round of golf this afternoon."
Bailey had thoughts about playing professionally -- he never played a PGA Tour event -- before severely breaking his wrist rock climbing that took more than two years to fully heal. He regained his amateur status in 2017, three years after leaving college.
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