Things to know

• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and Korn Ferry Tour Points List leader Matt McCarty follows a bogey-free 8-under 63 with a bogey-free 7-under 64 for a three-stroke lead in his bid for the Three-Victory Promotion.
• McCarty holds the fourth 36-hole lead of three-plus strokes this season, though none of the previous three leads were converted into a victory.
• Brian Campbell (T2/-12), one of 10 players declared #TOURBound, stands T2 to match his career-high 36-hole position in a Korn Ferry Tour event; he will join McCarty in Saturday’s final pairing.
• Korn Ferry Tour winner Ryan Gerard (T4/-11) is T4 or higher through 36 holes for the eighth time this season, four more occurrences than any other player on Tour this season.
• The 36-hole cut was made at 5-under 137, with 80 professionals advancing to the weekend.
• Upon conclusion of this week’s Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron, the top 144 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List will be eligible to compete in the Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, the second of four season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Finals events.

Charting the leader

Matt McCarty (1st/-15)

• McCarthy holds his second career 36-hole lead/co-lead in a Korn Ferry Tour event (T1/2024 The Ascendant presented by Blue/finished T5).
• At 15-under 127, he eclipses his previous career-low 36-hole score by four strokes (131/2023 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH/Rounds 1 and 2).
• One of two players in the field without a bogey through 36 holes (William Mouw/T8).
• Bidding to become the 13th player in Korn Ferry Tour history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion; the last player to accomplish the feat was Mito Pereira (2020-21), and the last to accomplish the feat in a single calendar year season was Wesley Bryan (2016).
• Stands No. 1 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List and is one of five multi-time winners this season.
• One of 10 players already declared #TOURBound and assured of finishing in the top 30 on the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, thus ensuring they earned PGA TOUR membership for the 2025 season.
• Entered the week with five top-10s – including two wins – in the last six Korn Ferry Tour events.
• Finished in the top 75 of the Korn Ferry Tour Points List each of the last two seasons (No. 55 as a rookie in 2022, No. 35 in 2023) and is fully exempt for 2024.
• Earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the first time ahead of the 2022 season with a T39 at Final Stage of 2021 Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament (now PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry).
• Turned professional in 2021 after five seasons at Santa Clara University (2016-21), where he earned three All-West Coast Conference honors (2018, 2019, 2021).

Quotables

Matt McCarty on whether a shorter course like Hillcrest Country Club plays to his strengths… “Yeah, I mean, I think you can kind of play as aggressive as you want, and if you drive it well while doing that, you can really have some like easy looks. That freedom of just kind of being able to play it a little bit more aggressive is probably nice. You kind of got to do everything well. I haven't hit my wedges too well, but I've been making a lot of, you know, 20‑footers, so it's been good.”

McCarty on if Hillcrest reminds him of other courses he enjoyed success at… “San Jose Country Club; we played out there in college. It's very similar. It's tight. If you drive it well, you can give yourself a lot of good looks. I think being accurate off the tee kind of like plays into my hand a little bit. Yeah, the greens are good, course is in great shape. Rough's kind of penal so you've got to hit good shots or you can make some mistakes”

Additional player notes

• Brian Campbell (T2/-12), who stands No. 9 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and is one of 10 players declared #TOURBound, matches his career-high 36-hole position in a Korn Ferry Tour event (2nd/2024 Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper/finished T10).
• Korn Ferry Tour winner Isaiah Salinda (T2/-12), who stands No. 18 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, bounces back from a four-putt double bogey at the par-3 17th with a closing birdie at the par-4 18th; his only previous occurrence of being T2 or higher through 36 holes of a Korn Ferry Tour event was as co-leader of the 2024 Panama Championship, which he won by eight strokes.
• Emilio Gonzalez (T4/-11), who stands No. 68 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and began the season on a medical extension, establishes a new career-high 36-hole position (previous: T5/2024 Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard/finished T8).
• Korn Ferry Tour winner Ryan Gerard (T4/-11), who stands No. 13 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, is T4 or higher through 36 holes for the eighth time this season, four more occurrences than any other player on Tour this season; he converted one of those previous instances into a victory at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX.
• Kyle Westmoreland (T4/-11), a Class of 2022 Korn Ferry Tour graduate who stands No. 34 on the Points List, is T4 or higher through 36 holes for the fourth time this season; he previously accomplished the feat four times in his 36 career starts on Tour prior to the 2024 season.
• Former No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking Braden Thornberry (T4/-11), who entered the week at No. 67 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, stands T4 through 36 holes for the second consecutive event (Magnit Championship/finished T37)
• Three players who entered the week outside top 144 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List made the cut: No. 154 Bryson Nimmer (T8/-10), No. 148 Morgan Hoffmann (T14/-9), No. 146 Bill Haas (T22/-8)
• Mason Williams (T33/-7), who stands No. 130 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, is the only one of the five players without Korn Ferry Tour membership in this week’s field to make the cut