Spencer Levin took one last drag on his cigarette, stamped it out in the rough and climbed into the bunker behind the 17th green. He set up quickly, took a quick glance at the hole and splashed out.
The ball landed about 10 feet from the hole, bounced twice and rolled into the cup for an eagle-2 that pushed him to 14 under par Friday in the second round of the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. A few minutes – and another cigarette – later, he parred the 18th for an 8-under 63 and a three-stroke lead.
“Hopefully, I can just keep trying to believe in myself and just keep trying to make my swing, and we’ll see what happens,” Levin said. “I’m going to give it my best shot. It should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.”
Harrison Frazar was 6 under for the round and 11 under overall with three holes left when play was again suspended because of darkness.
Webb Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6, was third at 8 under along with tour rookie John Huh. Simpson shot a 69 in the last group to finish play on No. 18, and Huh had a 66.
Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley was 7 under after a 5-under 66 Friday as he tries to rebound from a devastating loss last week. On Sunday at Torrey Pines, he made a triple-bogey 8 on the final hole of regulation and lost to Brandt Snedeker in a playoff.
Stanley finished his second round with a flurry, going 5 under over the final six holes – highlighted by an eagle-3 on the 552-yard par-5 15th hole.
Levin, 27, is winless on the PGA Tour. He came close last year, losing a playoff to Johnson Wagner in the Mayakoba Golf Classic. At Torrey Pines, Levin had a share of the first-round lead after a 62, but followed with rounds of 76, 73 and 72 to tie for 43rd.
“Last week, I played great the first round and didn’t play well the rest of the week, but overall I think my game is getting better,” Levin said.
Fan favorite Phil Mickelson, a former Arizona State star who won the tournament in 1996 and 2005, finished off a 70 at dusk to reach 4 under.
ELSEWHERE
European Tour officials reduced the Qatar Masters to 54 holes when they called off play Friday after strong winds moved golf balls and blowing sand reduced visibility on several holes. John Daly, who had yet to start his second round, was the clubhouse leader after his 5-under 67 on Thursday. … U.S. Open champion So Yeon Ryu shot an 11-under 61 to take a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the Australian Ladies Masters in Gold Coast. Ryu had a two-round total of 17-under 127.
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