SURREY, British Columbia — Michael Brennan and Derek Hitchner each sit at 11-under par and share the 36-hole lead at the Fortinet Cup Championship following Friday’s second round at Morgan Creek Golf Course.

Brennan set the early pace with a course-record 7-under 63 in the morning wave, but his mark didn’t last long. Hitchner, playing in the afternoon, fired an 8-under 62 to claim a share of the lead and set a new course record.

The pair leads James Piot and Patrick Newcomb by two strokes heading into Saturday’s third round.

Brennan, the No. 1 player in the Fortinet Cup standings, has won three of his last five starts on PGA TOUR Americas. The second-year pro out of Wake Forest has now held or shared the 36-hole lead in three of his past six events, including the Fortinet Cup Championship. His second-round 63 was also his 11th bogey-free round of the 2025 season.

Hitchner, ranked No. 9 entering the week, has been a model of consistency down the stretch, with four top-15 finishes in his last five starts. That stretch includes back-to-back runner-up finishes at the CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center and the ATB Classic. A win this week would move him to No. 3 in the standings and secure his Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2026 season.

All players completed their opening rounds Friday, with 66 players making the cut at even par. Third-round tee times are scheduled to begin Saturday at 7:30 a.m. and run until 1 p.m. local time off the No. 1 tee, with groups going off in twosomes.

Charting the leaders

About Michael Brennan (T1/-11)

  

• Secured exempt membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2026 season, after winning his third event of the season at the ATB Classic
• Carded his 11th bogey-free round of the season on Friday en route to a 7-under 63
• Won his second career PGA TOUR Americas event at the CRMC Championship presented by Northern Pacific Center at the age of 23 years, 6 months, and 23 days after overcoming a four-stroke deficit in the final round
• Won his first title at the BioSteel Championship, where he coasted to a five-stroke win, the largest margin on PGA TOUR Americas since 2024. Became the first wire-to-wire winner of the season.
• Has the most top-10 finishes of the 2025 season with 11
• Finished as the No. 12 player in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2024 to earn PGA TOUR Americas membership
• Tied for third in Wake Forest program history with Curtis Strange with eight individual titles: Brennan only trails Bill Haas (10), and Gary Hallberg (nine)
• Earned All-ACC honors four times and won the ACC Individual title twice during his time with the Demon Deacons
• Won the Middle Atlantic Amateur Championship in 2017, 2018, and 2019
• Won the 2019 Virginia State Amateur Championship

About Derek Hitchner (T1/-11)

 

• Holds a share of the 36-hole lead for the second time this season after setting the new course record at Morgan Creek Golf Course after an 8-under 62 on Friday
• Making his 32nd start across PGA TOUR Americas after turning professional in 2023. Making his third start at the Fortinet Cup Championship; best finish came in 2023 (T3)
• During his senior season at Pepperdine, Hitchner was named to the West Coast Conference First-Team in 2023 and earned Co-Player of the Year in honors
• Named the Minnesota Golf Association Player of the Year after winning the Minnesota Amateur Championship in 2021
• Was the 2017 Minnesota Golf Association Junior Boys Player of the Year

Competition notes

 

Course Setup: Par 70 / 6,955 yards; R2 average: 69.906
Weather: Cloudy with a high of 18 (65). Wind from the SSE at 8-17 kmh with gusts up to 22 kmh.

• Hitchner would move from No. 9 to No. 3 in the Fortinet Cup with a victory.
• Sixty-six players made the cut at even par or better after 36 holes.
• Hole No. 2, the 525-yard par 4, played as the toughest hole in the second round (+0.496 strokes over par).
• Hole No. 7, the 520-yard par 5 played as the easiest hole in the second round (-0.346 strokes under par).
• The top 10 players in the season-long Fortinet Cup points list will earn Korn Ferry Tour cards for the 2026 season, while players in the top 80 will retain status for the start of the 2026 PGA TOUR Americas Season.
  • After 36 holes, no players who entered the week outside of the top 10 are projected to move outside.
  • Currently projected to move inside the top-80: Chris Crisologo (T13, from No. 86 to No. 70), and Hunter Thomson (T13, from No. 96 to No. 79).