Zac Oakley takes lead at Philadelphia PGA Pro Championship with birdie binge
Oakley took charge at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington by posting birdies on the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 16th holes.
Thanks to a minor adjustment with his putting grip, Zac Oakley watched his birdie attempts start to drop Tuesday in the second round of the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship and took a one-shot lead into the final 18 holes.
Playing at DuPont Country Club in Wilmington, the venue for Wednesday’s closing round, Oakley, of nearby Bidermann Golf Club, carded four birdies on the back nine en route to a 5-under-par 66 and a 36-hole score of 8-under 134.
» READ MORE: Brian Bergstol leads the Philadelphia PGA Professional Championship by two shots
Brian Bergstol of Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, who held the 18-hole lead, fired a 69 at DuPont to stand in second place at 135. Dave McNabb, the 2015 section champion from Applebrook Golf Club, came out of the pack with a 67 at Concord Country Club, the second venue used for the first two days of competition, and a 137 total, good for third.
Oakley, 40, notched just one birdie in his first nine holes but made a slight change with the putter as he made the turn.
“I was making pars, so I can’t be mad, not making any bogeys,” he said. “Then I started to put my right pointer finger down the shaft on the back nine. Sometimes I do that in certain situations, and it helps me accelerate through the ball. After I changed the grip mid-round, I made two putts, so I stuck with it.”
Oakley birdied the 10th, 11th, 13th, and 16th, with his longest putt being an 18-footer at No. 11. He completed the day without a bogey.
Bergstol, 37, playing in his first section championship, called his round “very frustrating.” He hit all but one green and two fairways, but he struggled with the speed of the greens, missing “seven or eight” putts from 8 feet or closer.
“I kept hitting good shots, kept giving myself really close looks,” he said. “But really, the lid was on it from 8 feet and in.”
McNabb, 56, had four birdies and no bogeys.
A group of five players tied for fourth at 140 included past champions John Pillar of Woodloch Springs and Terry Hatch of Royal Oaks, and current section points leader Braden Shattuck of Rolling Green.
The 36-hole cut came in at 8 over par, reducing the original field of 155 players to 64. The top 11 finishers will receive an exemption into the 2023 PGA Professional Championship in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. Oakley, McNabb, and Merion Golf Club’s Joanna Coe already are exempt.