Playing La Quinta CC and beginning off 10 tee, World No. 183 Joseph Bramlett finished bogey-bogey for a 5-under-par 36-31=67 in R2 of The American Express, up two places to T3 on 12-under 132, two back of leader Patrick Cantlay.
The Stanford alum and California native was tied for the lead with Cantlay on 14-under total after ringing up seven birdies at 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 5 and 6, but ended on a sour note with back-to-back bogey-5s at 8 (penalty off-the-tee) and 9 (failed scramble) in freshening breezes. On 11 (of 14) fairways, he mustered 11 greens in regulation, but salvaged the lap with a 1.545 putts per GIR, and is pacing the event in the latter with a tidy 1.417. The 33-year-old, who will move over to the Nicklaus Tournament Course for R3, is in the top 10 at the midpoint for a fourth time in 84 events, first since last season’s opposite-field Barbasol, where he was T2 before fading to T11 (65-67-67-71). His career best on TOUR among two top 10s is T7 at the 2021 AT&T Byron Nelson, T12 thru 36 holes (64-70-67-68). See link below to post-round comments.