Hurt shot an even-par 71 Monday on the Pacific Dunes course at the popular resort to follow up his first 8-under 64 on the Bandon Dunes course, and his lead expanded to three shots entering the final two rounds. The PGA of America professionals split the first two rounds between Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes, with play shifting to Bandon Dunes alone for the final two rounds.
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“I stuck with it,” said Hurt, head professional at Wing Point Golf & Country Club on Bainbridge Island, Washington. “I felt like it was a tough day for me. I think it depends a lot on the wind and the weather here. It was a challenge. The pins were challenging, the greens are slightly different. Plus not feeling completely confident with the putter, mixed in with some reading errors.”
Hurt led by three shots over a trio of players tied at 5 under overall. Defending champion Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, Florida) shot 4-under 68 at Bandon Dunes, Jeff Kellen (Glenview, Illinois) shot 2-over 73 at Pacific Dunes and Charlie Beljan (Mesa, Arizona) had the low round of the day at Pacific Dunes with a 6-under 65 to share second place after Monday’s second round. Eight players were tied for fifth place with a total of 4 under par.
The 312-player field was narrowed after Monday’s second round to 90 players and tied, with 94 ultimately making it to the third round. There is another cut after Tuesday’s round, and only the top 70 and ties advance to Wednesday’s final round. The top 20 players after Wednesday qualify for the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club May 14-17 in Newton Square, Pennsylvania.
Bandon Dunes, the popular resort’s original course, opened in 1999 atop cliffs rising along the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Dunes followed in 2001, and both courses are ranked by Golfweek’s Best among the top 12 modern layouts in the United States. They are among five full-size 18s at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.
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Hurt, the 2023 and 2025 Pacific Northwest PGA Professional Champion, mixed three birdies and three bogeys in the second round at Pacific Dunes to extend his lead from one shot to three. Hurt has played at the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort several times in the past and said after the first round that he felt comfortable on the oceanfront courses. He started the second round on the eighth hole at Pacific Dunes in the two-tee format of the event and was happy to last through a round that wasn’t as easy as the opening day.
“I faced some adversity in the middle of the round, making bogeys on 16 and 17,” Hurt said. “I made a really good par save on 18 and had some early birdies that kept me there. The putter didn’t quite cooperate like it did yesterday… I want to stick to the same theory as yesterday, a hole-at-a-time approach and really try to stay present. “Today I felt like I was slipping a little bit on that, so I really tried to pick it up and just tried to capitalize on opportunities when they presented themselves.
“I have a good group of people here from Wing Point supporting me. They’re following me, so it’s really fun that they’re there to help me if there’s a hole or something.”
How to watch the PGA Professional Championship
Golf Channel has daily coverage of the PPC. The times are as follows:
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Tuesday: 7-10 pm Eastern Time
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Wednesday: 6-9 pm Eastern Time
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Washington pro extends lead on Day 2 of PGA Professional Championship