Koepka moves ahead at Frys.com Open
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Martin, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Brooks Koepka carded a 7-under 64 on Friday to move into first place at the end of two rounds of the Frys.com Open.
Koepka, who is making his fourth career start on the PGA Tour but his first outside of a major, finished 36 holes at CordeValle Golf Club at 11-under-par 131.
"There's no pressure. Just enjoying it right now," Koepka said. "Looking forward to the weekend. I don't see any pressure. Yeah, it would be big, obviously, be nice to win and get status over here. But you play good, everything kind of takes care of itself."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jason Kokrak eagled his final hole to close out a 6-under 65 and jump into second place at 10-under 132, while Robert Garrigus fired an 8-under 63 during his second round to grab a share of third place with Jim Herman (66) at minus-9.
Camilo Villegas (66) is alone in fifth place at 8-under, a shot ahead of Scott Brown (67), Charlie Wi (68), Kevin Tway (65), Kyle Stanley (69) and Billy Hurley (66).
Hideki Matsuyama, who is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 30, is among a group of seven players tied for 11th place at 6-under 136.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Koepka started on the 10th tee and birdied the 10th and 12th around a bogey at the 11th to move to 5-under.
After a 3-putt bogey at the 14th dropped him back to 4-under, he converted a 12-foot eagle putt at the 15th before rolling in a 17-foot birdie at the 16th. He converted another lengthy birdie putt at the 18th to make the turn at 8-under.
The four-time European Challenge Tour winner followed another gain at the second with a 34-foot birdie at the fifth, but then failed to get up and down for par at the sixth to fall back to 9-under.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Koepka, however, got that stroke back with a 27-foot birdie at the eighth. He closed with a birdie at the last to head into the clubhouse with the lead at 11-under.
No one in the afternoon wave was able to get closer than two strokes of Koepka's pace until Kokrak posted his bogey-free round to move into second place.
Kokrak parred his first two holes before converting back-to-back birdies at the 12th and 13th. He added a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th to make the turn at 7-under.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 36-foot birdie at the third moved him within three strokes of Koepka's pace and it looked as if he would finish there as he parred his next five holes, but at the par-5 ninth, Kokrak hit his second shot to within a foot of the pin and kicked in that short eagle to jump to 10-under and claim sole possession of second place.
"There's some holes that the longer hitters can take advantage of," said Kokrak. "That helps me. ... I can hit 3-irons off a couple of tees. If you pick and choose where you want to be aggressive, and if you can keep it in play and know where to miss it, you can really get after this course."
Garrigus had earlier opened his impressive round with two birdies over his first three holes, and added four straight birdies from the sixth to make the turn at 7-under. Aside from his 15-foot putt at the eighth, his other three putts during that streak came from inside 10 feet.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He moved to 8-under with a 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th, and after trading a bogey at the 14th with a birdie at the 15th to remain there, he rolled in his final birdie of the day at the 17th to reach minus-9.
Herman, meanwhile, started on the back nine and recorded two birdies and seven pars through his outward 34 to make the turn at 6-under.
He poured in three birdies over a four-hole span from the first to meet Garrigus at 9-under. Herman bogeyed the sixth to fall back to 8-under, but he bounced back with a birdie at the seventh to again join Garrigus at minus-9.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NOTES: Koepka is in the field this week under a sponsor exemption. Three of his Challenge Tour wins came this year, earning him a promotion to the European Tour for the remainder of 2013 and all of 2014 ... The last player to win on the PGA Tour playing on a sponsor exemption was Lee Westwood at the 2010 FedEx St. Jude Classic ... Kokrak finished in second place at this event in 2012 ... Y.E. Yang recorded a hole-in-one at the seventh hole ... Steven Bowditch withdrew during the second round with a hip injury ... The cut line fell at even-par 142, with 81 players advancing to the weekend.