Overview
- Clark completed a suspended opening round early Friday and followed with a one‑under 69 to sit at 7‑under 133, the lowest 36‑hole total at this venue and a four‑shot cushion going into the weekend.
- Thursday’s play was disrupted by a two‑hour fog delay and a darkness suspension that left many players finishing their first rounds the next morning, giving later tee times a scoring edge.
- Top contenders produced mixed responses to the setup: Rory McIlroy recovered to a 71 and lost ground, Scottie Scheffler bounced to a second‑round 68, while Dustin Johnson collapsed from a 66 to a 77.
- Tournament officials enforced the newer conduct rules when Joaquin Niemann received a two‑stroke penalty for throwing a club under Rule 1.2b, a ruling that affected his scorecard and drew attention to stricter on‑course discipline.
- The combination of softer greens, coastal winds that shifted through the day and the quick turnaround for morning finishers created wide intra‑round swings — exemplified by Keith Mitchell’s 41/29 nine‑hole split — and has left leaderboard movement likely over the weekend.