Jonathan Randolph and Conrad Shindler sit tied atop the leaderboard after 36 holes at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented at Highland Springs Country Club.
Randolph followed his opening-round 64 with a 6-under 66 on Friday. Entering his final two holes of the day, the veteran needed some magic to make a charge up the leaderboard. On the par-5 eighth, the 30-year-old delivered.
Randolph holed his second shot from 235 yards to card the first albatross of his professional career. The swing moved him from 10- to 13-under for the tournament and back near top of the leaderboard.
“I hit a pretty good drive off the tee.” Randolph said. “I got down there and had a really good number. I pushed it probably 10 or 15 yards, but I knew it was going to be a good club. The fans started clapping and somebody yelled ‘albatross.’ I thought, ‘alright, I think it went in.’”
Randolph didn’t stop there. On his final hole of the day, he drained his 8-foot birdie putt to move to 14-under and into a tie for the lead.
With less than three weeks remaining in the Regular Season, the former PGA TOUR member seems to have found his game at the perfect time.
“I’ve just been patiently waiting and it’s one of those things where it has been trending,” Randolph said of his game. “As long as you’re getting better it builds confidence, and this is a good time of the year.”
At No. 46 in The 25, Randolph knows the importance of a good week. A high finish could improve his position on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, but the University of Mississippi product has his sights set on his first Korn Ferry Tour title.
“It’s a big week but at the end of the day, I’ve never won out here,” he said. “I’m tired of finishing second. I really want to go win one and this is as good a chance as any.”
Tied with Randolph is Conrad Shindler, who followed his opening-round 63 with a 5-under 67 on Friday. The Texas A&M University product got off to another hot start after carding birdies on two of his first three holes. After a bogey on No. 4, he rebounded with birdies on Nos. 5, 6 and 8 to make the turn at 13-under for the week.
On his back nine, Shindler carded two birdies against one bogey to reach 14-under for the tournament.
“I have an aggressive but also conservative game plan and I’m sticking with it,” Shindler said. “I’m putting well, which is nice. I’m getting a lot of putts from 10- to 15-feet to go in. When you start making those, the momentum picks up. You feel like you can make them from anywhere.”
Shindler is in familiar territory at 14-under heading into the weekend. At the 2017 Price Cutter Charity Championship, he opened with rounds of 63-67 before finishing T16.
“You’re just comfortable,” Shindler said on his return to Highland Springs Country Club. “You know all the tee shots and know all the pins. You know where to miss it and where not to miss it.”
Shindler entered the week ranked 114th in The 25 and has three top-25s this season. Despite earning his PGA TOUR card in 2017, Shindler noted his game hasn’t been in top shape this season. Even with his struggles, the 31-year-old remains optimistic heading into the conclusion of the Regular Season.
“It’s been a little bit of a struggle,” he said. “I’ve definitely been seeing trends the right way. It’s hard sometimes to believe you are trending. You just have to keep the belief and one week can change everything.”
Grant Hirschman, who held a share of the 18-hole lead, sits alone in third after posting a 4-under 68 on Friday. Steve Wheatcroft sits in solo-fourth, two shots off the pace.
