February 27, 2026; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA; Chandler Blanchet hits a shot from the 10th tee during the second round of the Cognizant Classic golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Image PGA Tour rookie Chandler Blanchet shot a career-low 8-under-par 64 to take the lead at the Puerto Rico Open on Thursday in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
Blanchet failed to make the cut in his first five starts of the season. In this week’s alternate event opposite the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Blanchet found herself in the lead.
“It wasn’t an ideal start to the season, but there were a lot of good learnings and a lot of growth from that,” said Blanchet, who missed the cut by one stroke at last week’s Cognizant Classic.
“I felt like last week was a pretty good time. This week, my mindset has changed a little bit. Like, I want the adversity to grow and I want to handle that challenge well.”
He made 9 birdies after bogeying the first hole at the 10th hole at Grand Reserve Golf Club (par 4).
Blanchet is one stroke ahead of Gordon Sargent, while Sweden’s Jesper Svensson is third with a 5-under 67. Canada’s Adam Hadwin shot a 4-under 68 to tie the score at six.
Sargent would have tied Blanchet for points had it not been for a bogey on the 18th hole, his only blemish in a round that included an eagle and six birdies.
“It’s been an interesting start to the season. I think we’ve played better than we’ve scored,” Sargent said. “Yeah, I tried not to get too discouraged. It’s crazy how things can turn around here.”
BYU freshman Akina Kihei (19-year-old amateur) tied for the lead at 4 under par. Fellow amateur John Daly II, making his PGA Tour debut, opened with a 2-under 70. Daly, a senior on the Arkansas golf team, made birdie from the greenside rough for his 16th hold.
“I got off to a good start and had a great birdie on the first hole,” said the son of two-time major winner John Daly. “I had a solid up-and-down 20-foot par on No. 2, which was fine. Then I hit some good shots. I felt like I had a few left, but I made up for it with a few good saves and a nice chip-in on No. 16.”
–Field level media
