After a nearly three-hour rain delay that saw Eagle Point Golf Club take on more than 1½ inches of rain early Friday morning, Billy Hurley III was finally able to get his round underway just past 10:30 a.m. local time.
Hurley, the 2016 Quicken Loans National champion, teed off on the back nine, where he shot an even-par 36. It wasn’t until the par-4 third hole, his 12th hole of the day, where things finally got going for the 34-year-old. He birdied four of his final seven holes to shoot a three-under 69, one of the low rounds of the day, putting him in a tie for first at five-under 139.
Teeing off an hour after Hurley was Ireland’s Seamus Power, who carded a one-under 71. Power’s round was highlighted by a superb approach shot from 208 yards on the par-4 14th hole that he put to 11 feet. He holed the putt to get to three under on the day and seven under for the tournament, but stumbled on his way in with bogeys on the 15th and 17th to match Hurley at five under.
Francesco Molinari, the first-round leader, and John Peterson are also tied for the lead, but were unable to finish their rounds due to darkness.
Vaughn Taylor and Brian Harman matched Hurley's three-under 69, putting them at four under and just one off the lead. They are joined in the clubhouse by PGA Tour rookie Grayson Murray and Spaniards Jon Rahm and Rafa Cabrera Bello. Smylie Kaufman and Ben Martin are also at four under, but each have a few holes remaining in their respective second rounds.
Second round play in Wilmington, N.C., will resume tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. (EDT).
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