Nick Taylor shot rounds of 64-68 to sit seven shots behind leader Austin Smotherman at 17-under par through two rounds at Black Desert Resort. The Canadian said the experience felt similar to the aftermath of his five PGA Tour victories, with energy drained but momentum carrying forward.
Taylor performed admirably in his Presidents Cup debut last week, posting a 2-1-1 record and pairing with Corey Conners for two 1-up Foursomes victories. Their notable win came against world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns in Taylor's first-ever Presidents Cup match.
Despite poor starts in both rounds at 1-over and 2-over through two holes respectively, Taylor responded with a combined 12 birdies and an eagle. He hit 27 of 28 fairways across the opening 36 holes and ranked third in average feet of putts made per round at 109 feet.
The 38-year-old plans to compete next week at the Baycurrent Classic in Japan before reassessing his schedule. Taylor has made 22 of 24 cuts this season but recorded just one top-10 finish with a tie for ninth at the Cadillac Championship in May.