IVINS, Utah -- Zach Bauchou birdied his last two holes Thursday for a career-best 9-under 62, giving him a one-shot lead on a day of low scoring at the Bank of Utah Championship.
With several players having set the pace at Black Desert Resort, Bauchou holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and reached the 602-yard closing hole in two for a two-putt birdie from 25 feet and his first 18-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
Bauchou is at No. 86 in the FedEx Cup standings s. Only the top 100 at the end of the FedEx Cup Fall in November retain full cards for 2027. The Oklahoma State alum said he wasn't thinking about that.
"I felt like I spent some time the last couple weeks reflecting on the season. Felt like I played pretty solid most of the year, just didn't have that many high finishes," he said. "Just try to improve when I'm home and know that I am actually playing probably better than what my results are."
Sudarshan Yellamaraju of Canada was the first of the nine players to post a 63. He is at No. 59 in the FedEx Cup, among those who are hopeful of a good fall to finish among the top 60 and be eligible for signature events at Pebble Beach and Riviera.
Jackson Koivun took a while to get back to his Presidents Cup form. The 21-year-old who was unbeaten in his Presidents Cup debut last week. He had three straight bogeys and was 2 over for his round before closing with four birdies in his last five holes for a 69.
He still has work to do to make sure he sticks around for the weekend because of the low scoring on a beautiful day in southern Utah.
The average score was around 68.
Nick Taylor is still making big putts, as he did at Medinah last week for the International team. Taylor finished his round with a 50-foot eagle putt and was among the group of players at 64 that included Presidents Cup teammate Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Three players from the group at 63 are outside the top 100, including Kevin Streelman and Nick Dunlap. Streelman birdied six of his last eight holes.
Jordan Smith of England reached 63 in a most spectacular fashion. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the eighth, and then holed out his second shot from 238 yards on the par-5 ninth for an albatross.
"It's the first time I've ever done it, so it was pretty special, and to end a round like that is even more special," Smith said.
Defending champion Michael Brennan also opened with a 64. Brennan was headed to the Korn Ferry Tour a year ago when he received a sponsor exemption to Utah and won to earn a PGA Tour card. He returns as a two-time winner.