They return to PGA National on Saturday after returning in the second round of the Cognizant Classic.
Koepka shot a 5-under 66 on Friday, taking eight shots off his opening-round score, and Silverman shaved six shots off his opening-round score with a 3-under 67. This kept them well within the limit, and both are 2 under the lead going into the weekend.
“If I’m here to try to cut back, I’m probably done,” said Koepka, the five-time Major Championship winner who hails from Palm Beach County and has a bit of a home field advantage this week. He has now made two of three cuts since returning to the PGA Tour earlier this year after a nearly four-year stint with the Saudi-backed LIV.
Koepka hit only six of 14 fairways on Friday, but laid the ball much better and made six birdies – four more than in Round 1.
“I had it a lot worse today,” Koepka said. “I haven’t run it nearly as well. The iron play wasn’t as good, but the putter was better. Made a few adjustments after yesterday’s round.”
Opening-round leader Austin Smotherman – who remained red-hot, with a 55-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th as part of his Friday round – was among those playing in the afternoon, as were Taylor Moore and Nico Echevarria.
There were more big movers on Friday: AJ Ewart shot a 7-under 64 to enter the weekend at 7-under, and Mackenzie Hughes followed his opening-round 75 with a 65 in Round 2.
Ewart played his college golf at Barry University in Miami Shores, about an hour and a half drive from Palm Beach Gardens. He has been to the Cognizant before as a fan and remembers following Koepka in the past, though he admitted some memories are vague. “There are a few too many drinks in the Bear Trap,” he said, referring to the stretch of holes 15 through 17 at PGA National.
“Coming into this week, I had never played the golf course before, but I felt like I knew it just by looking at it,” Ewart said. “A bit of a home game, yes. It feels good.”
Koepka thought he would play the first two rounds with Daniel Berger – another player from Palm Beach County – and Will Zalatoris. But Zalatoris withdrew shortly before Round 1 with an ankle injury, giving Silverman the opportunity to come into the field as an alternate.
Silverman – who lives in Jupiter, about a 15-minute drive from the track Cognizant calls home – put together rounds of 73-67 to cap the weekend. Last year he missed the cut by four shots at the PGA National in this event.
“My focus going into the week was that I was going to take a week off at home, and coming in, great. I was the 15th alternate Sunday. I moved up to the 13th Monday morning, and that moved up to the fourth Monday afternoon, and the three guys ahead of me that I knew were committed to Argentina, so when they pulled out on Wednesday it was, ‘Maybe I have a chance now,'” Silverman said. “I was pretty excited when it happened.”
He was also quite tired when the first two rounds were finished. Consecutive days of 4:30 a.m. alarms – with about 18 hours on the course in that period – will do that to someone. He underwent two gym sessions and two warm-ups Thursday morning before he got the call that Zalatoris couldn’t play.
“It was great,” Silverman said. “Honestly, I would love to play in a group like that every day, big winners, multiple PGA Tour winners. It’s a different atmosphere, a different energy among the players, among the crowd. I love that environment. That’s where I want to be. Unfortunately thanks to Will, but it was fortunate to put me in that position.”
Koepka added: “I think he will enjoy his sleep tonight.”
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