Cal Golf: Midnight Strikes Early for Collin Morikawa; Max Homa Soars at Memorial

Darkness didn’t come quite soon enough for Collin Morikawa on Friday in Dublin, Ohio.

The late afternoon on Day 2 at the Memorial golf tournament went much better for fellow Cal grad Max Homa.

Morikawa, the first-round leader, was tied for second through 11 holes Friday when Muirfield Village took a big bite out of his plans. The 24-year-old had a triple-bogey six on the par-3 12th hole and dropped into a tie for eighth place.

Minutes later, officials halted play due to darkness at 8:44 p.m. ET.

Homa, enjoying his best season on the PGA tour, made three birdies on his final four holes to climb into a tie for fourth place at five under when the day ended. He has four holes to play Saturday before beginning his third round.

Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm share the lead, although Rahm wasn’t able to complete the second round.

Cantley shot a second-round 67, leaving him at eight-under 136 through 36 holes. Rahm made six birdies (and one bogey) over 13 holes to match Cantley at minus-8.

Scottie Scheffler is in third place at six under after shooting a 71, and Homa is tied with Carlos Ortiz, Xander Schauffele and Rickie Fowler at minus-5.

Homa began the day tied for seventh but had dropped to 13th by the time he teed off Friday afternoon. Starting on the back nine, Homa had three bogeys before making the turn, then posted birdies on Nos. 2, 3 and 5 to climb the leaderboard before the horn signaled darkness.

Morikawa, whose company in eighth place includes Tony Finau and Hideki Matsuyama, bogeyed his first hole of the day then had pars on Nos. 5 and 10 before disaster struck on the 12th.

He hit his first shot into the water, then his next into the rough before missing a 12-foot putt for double-bogey.

A day earlier, Morikawa had seven birdies and just one bogey to fashion a one-stroke lead on the field.

A year ago, Morikawa won at Muirfield Village, when it was a substitute host for the Workday Charity Open. A week later, playing the same course at the Memorial, he finished 48th as Rahm prevailed.

Cal alum Brandon Hagy, 30, made the cut for the first time in three weeks, and he had to work for it. After getting in just six holes Thursday before weather sent golfers home, he managed just a 76 for the first round, despite making an eagle-3 on the par-5 seventh hole.

The 2014 Cal grad then included six birdies in his second-round score of two-under 70, leaving him at two-over 146 and among the final group that will advance to the weekend.

Two of five Cal golfers in the field failed to make the cut at plus-2.

James Hahn, 39, who graduated from Cal in 2003, shot a two-over 74 on the heels of a one-over 73 on Thursday and finished at three-over 147.

Byeong Hun-An, who played one season at Cal in 2011, wound up at 10-over 154 after carding a 75 in the second round.

Cover photo by Adam Cairns, Columbus Dispatch for USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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