Taylor Pendrith maintained a perfect scorecard for the second straight day, firing a 7-under 64 on Friday to move into second place in the 3M Open at 12-under overall.
In the first round, the Canadian golfer shot a bogey-free five-under 66. He didn’t drop a stroke through 36 holes. Pendris was one of three players to shoot 64 in the second round of the 3M Open.
The 33-year-old finished tied for fifth at the Barracuda Championship in Lake Tahoe last week and his hot form continued at TPC Twin Cities.
“The wind was pretty strong at times today so it was pretty tricky, but I had good speed all day and I was patient,” Pendrith said after Friday’s round. “I didn’t have a lot of good shots in the first hour but I was patient and made a couple of long shots which was good.”
He performed well over the first two days of play, and many other players did well, but for the former Kent State golfer, it was a result of doing the things that matter right.
“I hit a lot of greens,” he said, “and I felt like I had some numbers in the middle especially today, so I made some smart club choices, hit it to 40 feet and held on for two putts, and then I hit a lot of really quality shots and got some birdies.”
“Well, hitting the ball is the key here. The greens are pretty big so you’ve got to have speed on them, but I was able to do all three.”
Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
Pendris made 16 of 18 greens in regulation on Friday, including a 145-foot putt. He is third in strokes gained putting (+3.757), seventh in tee shots (+1.510) and tied for first in total strokes gained (+7.054).
The 33-year-old Pendrith said his victory at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in May was a big confidence booster. Since then, he has recorded two top 10 finishes and five top 25 finishes.
“I’ve felt like I’ve been playing some good golf this year so it’s great to finally do it,” Pendrith said. “If I can use that experience over the next two days and put myself in the running on Sunday and have a chance to win then it’ll be great. I’m just focused on tomorrow’s round and continuing to do what I’ve been doing.”
Pendris currently sits 29th in the FedEx Cup standings, so a win here could be a big leap for him.
A win here would earn him 500 FedEx Cup points, giving him a total of 1,714 points and helping him move up from 29th to 13th, potentially earning him a spot in Atlanta.
Pendrith, bidding for his second win of the season and to become just the sixth player with at least two wins in 2024, will have a later tee time on Saturday.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
