Germany’s Stephan Jaeger held a one-stroke lead at the Black Desert Championship when second-round play was suspended due to darkness Friday in Ivins, Utah.
Jaeger posted an 8-under-par 63 at Black Desert Resort to move to 14-under 128, one shot clear of Ben Kohles (64) and first-round lead Adam Svensson of Canada (69).
Nineteen players were still on the course Friday evening when tour officials suspended play. Among them was Matt McCarty, who was 3 under for his round and 12 under for the tournament with three holes to go. He is tied for fourth with Harris English (second-round 64), Sam Ryder (66) and Sweden’s Henrik Norlander (68).
Play will resume Saturday morning at 8:15 a.m. local time.
The Black Desert Championship is the first PGA Tour stop played in Utah since 1963 and the newest addition to the FedEx Cup Fall series. At the end of the fall, players in the top 125 in the points standings will have full status on the PGA Tour for 2025.
That’s important for players such as Norlander, who was No. 131 entering the week, and Ryder, who was No. 132.
Jaeger matched the lowest round of the day. He made nine birdies and just one bogey, and he concluded his round with birdies at Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 18. He chipped in from the rough for a birdie at the both the par-3 15th and the par-4 16th.
“I started well the last couple days,” he said. “It’s one of those golf courses when you get off to a good start, you can take your chances sometimes and be conservative on some shots.
“So obviously super happy with how I played. The two chip-ins on the back (nine) kind of made this round from being good to great, so super happy with it. Game feels nice.”
Jaeger, 35, does not need to worry about keeping his card for next season. He won the Houston Open in March for his first career PGA Tour title, made the FedEx Cup playoffs and finished inside the top 50 in points.
“I felt like I played solid here and there after that win,” Jaeger said. “That was my first one, you kind of get your feet back under and your expectations are super high, so I want to be able to obviously have a chance on Sunday.”
Svensson logged four birdies and two bogeys on Friday, a far cry from the 11-under 60 he carded the previous day.
“A little shaky off the first couple holes, but still hit the ball well,” he said of his second-round results. “The putter really let me down today. Wasn’t working very good. But, you know, do a little practice and see if I can find something.”
–Field Level Media
