NAPA, Calif. - Brandt Snedeker birdied the final two holes on the North Course at Silverado Resort and Spa for a 7-under-par 65 and a three-stroke lead Friday at the Safeway Open.
Playing alongside World Golf Hall of Fame member Fred Couples, Snedeker had eight birdies and a bogey to move to 12-under 132 overall in the PGA Tour's 2018-19 season opener. The leader won the Wyndham Championship in August, opening with a 59 on the way to the ninth PGA Tour victory of his career.
Tied for second were Phil Mickelson (69), Ryan Moore (67) and Michael Thompson (65). First-round leader Sepp Straka (72) dropped into a tie for fifth at 9 under with Sungjae Im (69) and Kevin Tway (67).
Ricky Barnes matched the course record with a 61 to get to 8 under and was tied for eighth with six others.
The 49-year-old Couples matched Snedeker with a 65 to reach 7 under and was tied for 15th. Playing on a sponsor's exemption, the PGA Tour Champions regular plans to make the tournament his last PGA Tour event other than the Masters.
Luke List (69) was tied for 36th at 5 under, with fellow Baylor School graduate Harris English (65) shaving 10 strokes off his opening round to move into a tie for 49th at 4 under.
Chattanooga's Stephan Jaeger, who starred at both Baylor and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, followed his opening 70 with a 72 and missed the cut by a stroke.
Mark Mulder, the former MLB pitcher playing in his first PGA Tour event, missed the cut with rounds of 75 and 74.
Three share lead at Dunhill Links
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland - Andrea Pavan shot a 9-under 63 at Kingsbarns to share the lead with Lucas Bjerregaard on Friday after two rounds of the Dunhill Links Championship.
Tyrrell Hatton, the European Tour event's winner the past two years, was among those a stroke back after taming Carnoustie in the multi-course event.
Pavan rolled in a four-foot putt on his last hole for his ninth birdie of the day. Like Pavan, Bjerregaard didn't drop a shot in his 65 on the same course, and they were at 9-under overall.
Hatton backed up a first-round 70 at Kingsbarns with a 6-under 66 at Carnoustie, which is regarded as the toughest of the three courses that stage the tournament. Joining him tied for third at 8 under were first-round co-leader Marcus Fraser (68 at St. Andrews) and Matthias Schwab (67 at St. Andrews).
All 168 golfers in the field will play a round on each course before Sunday's final round at St. Andrews.