It was a struggle in Round 2 for a couple of players that led the way after the first round, including first round leader Brendan Steele. He opened the round with a double bogey and would pile two more bogeys on top of that to go to four over through just three holes in his first round.
He’d eventually end the day at 3-over, dropping from solo first to T24. While he struggled, many others took advantage of good playing conditions from Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club.
John Huh came through with the low round of the day and week so far as he fired a bogey-free, 9-under 61. He vaulted his way all the way up to solo fourth just two shots back of the lead. Those leaders, Andrew Putnam and Rickie Fowler, had the second and third best rounds of the day with 8 and 7-under scores respectively.
They’ve got a one shot edge over Keegan Bradley in third, but the big storyline building is with twenty-two year old Keita Nakajima. The former top ranked amateur in the world is making big noise this week in his home country and it’ll be fun to watch as he looks to handle the pressure of being in contention just a few tournaments into his professional career.