SAVANNAH, Georgia – Playing the 18th hole in near darkness in order to avoid an early Saturday morning restart, Dan McCarthy finished off a second-round 67 and is the clubhouse leader at 12-under Friday night at the Savannah Golf Championship. Kevin Lucas is 9-under with eight holes remaining in his second round, while four players have posted 8-under 136 totals: Brett Coletta, Timothy Madigan, Scottie Scheffler and Tyler McCumber.

Second-round play was delayed 2 hours and 30 minutes Friday morning due to heavy fog in the area. The first groups teed off at 9:50 a.m. and play was later suspended due to darkness at 7:40 p.m. The second round is scheduled to resume at 7:30 a.m. Saturday with players beginning the third round at approximately 10:15 a.m. In all, 68 players have not completed their second rounds.

McCarthy’s second round began at 3 p.m., the first tee time of the second wave, and his group was one of only three afternoon groups that finished. He made six birdies before a bogey on the 16th, his first of the tournament, but knew that finishing Friday night was still possible.

“I talked to an official when we walked off No. 16 green and he said we had about 25 minutes,” McCarthy said. “The plan was to have whoever holed out first on 17 was going to run to 18 tee to get one away so we could all play and finish the hole. It got dark pretty quick and I was able to hole out first on No. 17 and ran over and got one away and in play on No. 18.”

To execute the group’s strategy, McCarthy hit a 3-wood off the tee in order to hit the widest part of the par-5’s fairway. It became a three-shot hole and a two-putt par got him into the clubhouse before nightfall.

“It gets me another four or five hours of sleep so that’s huge,” he said.

McCarthy’s 65-67 start marks the second time this season he has carded back-to-back rounds in the 60s. He shot 64-69 in the second and third rounds of the Country Club de Bogotá Championship en route to a T42 finish.

“The putter has really been solid both days,” said McCarthy, who started the week No. 119 in The 25 standings. “I haven’t hit it great but I’ve kind of kept it in play and have given myself a lot of opportunities on the greens.”

Scottie Scheffler had the low round of the day, shooting a 7-under 65. Despite playing poorly the past few weeks, Scheffler noted he found his swing to get his game back on track.

“I’ve been hitting it really bad the last two weeks and I found something in my swing that helped me get it in play,” Scheffler said. “From there I was able to give myself some looks, and the greens are rolling really well so I was able to get a few of them in.”

The former University of Texas standout found himself even-par after his first five holes before birdieing Nos. 15, 16 and 18 to make the turn at 3-under. He rebounded from a bogey on his 10th hole with five birdies in his last eight holes to shoot 65 and post an 8-under 136 total.

Brett Coletta followed his first-round 66 with a 2-under 70 on Friday for an 8-under total and a T3 position. The Australian has had an up-and-down start to his season, with two top-15s on the year but also three missed cuts. He noted that better preparation this week has put himself in position at the top of the leaderboard.

“I’ve had a few random results where I had those top-15s and then I missed a few cuts,” he said. “I think it all comes down to preparation and this week I’ve done a really good job and it’s showing.”

Joining Scheffler and Coletta at 8-under is Timothy Madigan who fired his second consecutive 68 on Friday with a bogey-free round that featured an eagle and two birdies. Despite only hitting only 21/36 greens in regulation this week, he still finds himself near the top of the leaderboard. Madigan leads the field in up-and-downs with 13 and has relied on a hot putter through the first two rounds.

“I haven’t hit the ball very well and I’ve gotten away with a few tee shots but overall the putting has been rock solid this week,” Madigan said. “The putts are starting to fall and I’m making good decisions and taking advantage when I can but I’m just playing really smart.”

Madigan played three seasons on the Web.com Tour before losing his Web.com Tour status in 2018. He earned guaranteed starts this year through the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament and noted how his previous struggles have made him a better player today.

“It’s extremely humbling, losing my card was probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Madigan said. “At the time it felt like the worst, but it made me much more humble, it made my work ethic a lot greater and I’m just very appreciative of the opportunities now.”

Also in a tie for third at 8-under is Tyler McCumber, who was in McCarthy’s threesome and finished his second round before dark. Brian Campbell is 8-under with three holes left in his second round, while six players have posted 7-under 137 totals.