MCKINNEY, Texas — If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
If it is broken? Find a replacement. That’s what David Skinns did this week at the AT&T Byron Nelson tournament, and it resulted in an unprecedented performance.
Skinns, a 40-year-old PGA Tour rookie, realized this week that his driver face was broken. He’s unsure of how long exactly he’d been playing with the defective club, but Ping was able to deliver a new one on Wednesday.
And, on Friday, he finished his round tied for first place with Sebastian Munoz and Ryan Palmer at 15-under par after shooting a second-round 63.
“As soon as we got on the range with the new [driver], it was like night and day,” Skinns said Friday. “And I knew straight away we had found something better.”
He birdied 10 holes during the second round, with one lone bogey blemish on the sixth hole. He shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday, spurred by an eagle on the 12th hole.
A native of England, Skinns gained his PGA Tour card this season after spending last year on the Korn Ferry Tour. He made 15 starts prior to the AT&T Byron Nelson this season, missed the cut nine times and had his best finish (29th) at the RSM Classic in November. The Tennessee graduate has nine career wins — two on the Korn Ferry Tour, and seven on the Swing Thought Tour (previously known as the NGA Hooters Tour).
“I haven’t quite been able to break into that top 20, but most of my pro career it’s taken me a little while to get used to every level,” Skinns said. “I’m just excited to be in a position this weekend where I can make a step forward hopefully.”
Munoz still up top thanks to strong first day
It wasn’t another course record, but Munoz’ second round was enough to keep him atop the leaderboard headed into the weekend.
Munoz — who shot a 12-under 60 on Thursday to take a sizable lead over the field after 18 holes — carded a 3-under 69 on Friday to finish the second round at 15-under par.
“It was not perfect golf,” Munoz said. “Yesterday was super easy, today was a little tougher. We had a lot more in between numbers, we struggled with the speed of the greens on the front. It’s tough to back a 60, but I feel like I did a good job of closing the round and going out with a 69.”
The 29-year-old North Texas alum bogeyed two of his first eight holes, but ended his round with four birdies on the front nine.
“I don’t think I imagined being 15-under,” Munoz said. “I mean I know I’m playing good golf, but that’s a great number. It’s not easy; you shouldn’t take it for granted and I feel like I’m doing a lot of good stuff.”
Schwartzel feels at home in McKinney
Charl Schwartzel finished tied for third at last year’s tournament at 21-under par, and fired a 7-under 65 on Friday to finish Round 2 in fifth place at 13-under.
Why the success? The 37-year-old South African feels a bit at home in McKinney.
“Some familiarity to me with some of the courses I played back in South Africa,” Schwartzel said of TPC Craig Ranch. “I don’t feel claustrophobic off the tee, it gives me a bit of space, and once I can get it in play iron play is not much of a problem. So just really comfortable.”
The 2011 Masters champ posted three birdies on the front nine, three on the back, an eagle on 14 and a bogey on 17.
“There wasn’t any real weakness,” he said. “[I was] driving the ball well, hitting a lot of good iron shots to give myself opportunities and just felt comfortable with the putter, so I made a few putts.”
Dallas’ Justin Leonard misses cut
Nearly 30 years since his first start at the AT&T Byron Nelson — and 24 years since his Open Championship win — Dallas native Justin Leonard finished 1-under par at his first start in the event since 2014 and missed the weekend cut.
Leonard, 49, posted a 1-under 71 on Friday to finish the tournament below par. He shot an even-par 72 with three birdies and three bogeys on Thursday.
A 12-time champion on Tour and a NCAA champion at Texas, Leonard made his 21st career start at the event. His best finish came in 2001 when he finished tied for sixth.
Other notable missed cuts
Dallas resident Will Zalatoris, the 28th-ranked golfer in the world, finished at 4-under par and missed the cut (-5) by one stroke. World No. 10 Sam Burns, too, shot 4-under. Taylor Gooch (world No. 34) and two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson both shot 3-under, while world No. 30 Kevin Kisner shot 2-under.
