BANDON, Ore. – Different days, different courses, different scores, but the overall result remained the same. First-round leader Austin Hart remained at the top of the leaderboard after day two of the PGA Pro Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
Pacific Dunes at Oregon’s Bandon Dunes Golf Resort ranks among the few modern courses in the United States. (Courtesy of Bandon Dunes Golf Resort)
Hart shot an even-par 71 on Monday at the popular resort’s Pacific Dunes Course, extending his lead to three shots entering the final two rounds after an opening 8-under 64 at the Bandon Dunes Course. PGA of America pros will split the first two rounds between Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, and play the final two rounds exclusively at Bandon Dunes.
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“I held on pretty well,” said Hart, head professional at Wing Point Golf & Country Club on Bainbridge Island, Washington. “I felt like it was a tough day for me out there. I think a lot depends on the wind and the weather here. It was challenging. The pins were challenging and the greens were a little different. On top of that, I wasn’t completely confident in my putter and I made some misreads.”
Hart led the trio, who were all tied at 5 under par, by three strokes. Defending champion Tyler Collette (Vero Beach, Fla.) shot a 4-under 68 at Bandon Dunes, Jeff Kellen (Glenview, Ill.) shot a 2-over 73 at Pacific Dunes, and Charlie Belgian (Mesa, Ariz.) finished Monday’s second round with a 6-under 65, his lowest round of the day at Pacific Dunes, to share second place. There were eight players left in a tie for fifth place, with a total of four under par, one stroke shorter.
After Monday’s second round, the 312 players participating were tied at 90 and a half, with 94 ultimately advancing to the third round. There will be more cuts after Tuesday’s round, with only the top 70 and ties advancing to Wednesday’s final round. The top 20 players after Wednesday will qualify for the PGA Championship, to be held May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, Pennsylvania.
The popular resort’s original course, Bandung Dunes, opened in 1999 atop cliffs along the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Dunes followed in 2001, and both courses are ranked among the top 12 modern layouts in the United States by Golfweek’s Best magazine. These are one of five full-size 18 models at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
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Hart, the 2023 and 2025 Pacific Northwest PGA Pro Champion, had three birdies and three bogeys in the second round at Pacific Dunes, extending his lead from one stroke to three strokes. Hart has played at the links-heavy Bandon Dunes Golf Resort several times in the past and said after his first round he felt comfortable on the oceanfront course. He started the second round in the event’s two-tee format with eight holes at Pacific Dunes and was happy to put together a round that wasn’t as easy as the first day.
“I hit some adversity in the middle of the round and bogeyed 16 and 17,” Hart said. “I made a really good par save on the 18th and got some early birdies, so I was able to stay there. My putter wasn’t as cooperative as it was yesterday. … I’m going to stick to the same theory as yesterday, hole-at-a-time approach, and just try to stay present. I felt like I was slipping a little bit today, so I just tried to reel it back in and take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves.”
“I have great people supporting me from Wing Point, and it’s a lot of fun because they’re following me and picking me up if I have a downhole or something.”
How to watch the PGA Professional Championship
Golf Channel has daily coverage of PPC. The times are:
Tuesday: 7pm to 10pm ET
Wednesday: 6pm to 9pm ET
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Washington pro extends lead on day 2 of PGA Professional Championship
