Charting the leader

Austin Smotherman (first/-16)

• Follows up a bogey-free 7-under 65 at Carolina Country Club with a 9-under 62 at Thornblade Club with 10 birdies (Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17) against one bogey (No. 12), matching his 18-hole career low
• At 16-under 127, records the best 36-hole score of his Korn Ferry Tour career in what is his 92nd start (previous best: 132; twice)
• Third 36-hole lead/co-lead of his Korn Ferry Tour career; converted the 36-hole lead at the 2021 Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation for his lone victory on Tour
• Owns eight top-25s and three top-10s in 13 starts this year, highlighted by a solo fourth at The Bahamas Golf Classic at Atlantis Paradise Island
• Making fourth start at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX (best finish: 2019/T43)
• Split time last year between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour; made 13 cuts over his 16 starts on TOUR with one top 10 (T7/Procore Championship), leading to a No. 169 finish in the FedEx Cup Fall
• Collected two top-10s in 11 starts during the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour season, leading to a No. 104 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• Retained Korn Ferry Tour membership for the start of the 2025 season with a T19 finish at Final Stage of 2024 PGA TOUR Q-School presented by Korn Ferry (first 25 finishers and ties)
• Previously competed on the PGA TOUR during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, logging 11 top-25s and two top-10s over 60 starts (best finish: T5/2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta World)
• Earned PGA TOUR membership for the first time after the 2020-21 combined season with a No. 25 finish on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List

Additional notes

• First-round leader Nicolo Galletti (T2/-14) snaps a streak of six consecutive missed cuts and holds his best 36-hole position in a Korn Ferry Tour event (previous: T6/2025 Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club/finished T23).
• Two-time Korn Ferry Tour winner Sebastian Cappelen (T2/-14) stands inside the top 10 through two rounds for the first time this season and at 14-under 129 posts the best 36-hole score of his career (previous: 130; three occurrences).
• Class of 2023 Korn Ferry Tour graduate Pierceson Coody (T2/-14) carded an 8-under 64 at Carolina Country Club with two eagles (Nos. 9, 13) and eight birdies (Nos. 1, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 17, 18), erasing an early triple bogey on No. 4 (par-5).
• Seungtaek Lee (fifth/-13), who stands No. 8 on the 2025 Korn Ferry Tour Points List, makes his 12th cut of the season and is one of two players (Augusto Nunez) with at least 12 starts not to miss a cut this year.
• Travis Trace (T6/-12) and Billy Tom Sargent (T18/-9) are the only players in the field bogey-free after 36 holes; Trace holds the best 36-hole position of his career (previous high: T59/2025 AdventHealth Championship/finished T31).
• Class of 2022 Korn Ferry Tour graduate Carl Yuan (T6/-12), who is making his ninth start of the season, logs his third made cut of the 2025 campaign and stands inside the top 10 after 36 holes for the first time on Tour since the 2022 Visit Knoxville Open (T8/finished second).
• Trent Phillips (T8/-11), who was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, birdies his final three holes of the day (Nos. 7 – 9) for a 6-under 66 at Carolina Country Club; at 11-under 132 posts his best 36-hole score on Tour this year (previous best: 133/LECOM Suncoast Classic; The Bahamas Golf Classic).
• Augusto Nunez (T12/-10) makes his Tour-leading 13th cut of the 2025 season and joins Lee as the only player with at least 12 starts not to miss a cut.
• Preston Summerhays (T12/-10) and Phichaksn Maichon (T19/-11), who both earned Korn Ferry Tour membership for the remainder of the season by finishing inside the top 10 in the 2025 PGA TOUR University Eligibility Ranking, make the cut in their professional debuts.