AT&T Byron Nelson 2019: Sung Kang Leads at 16 Under Par After Round 2

Sung Kang holds a four-stroke lead after shooting a sublime 10-under 61 in the second round of the 2019 AT&T Byron Nelson tournament Friday at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

Kang, who matched the course record set by Marc Leishman last year, posted the score without the benefit of an eagle. He recorded 10 birdies on his bogey-free scorecard to reach 16 under overall.

Matt Every and Tyler Duncan are tied for second place at 12 under. Brooks Koepka (-11), Jordan Spieth (-7) and Henrik Stenson (-6) are among the high-profile players in contention, though they'll need the South Korean atop the leaderboard to falter to win the PGA Championship warm-up event.

Meanwhile, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (+8) fell 10 shots shy of the cut line after entering the tournament through a sponsor's exemption.

Kang, a four-time winner on the Korean Tour, is seeking his first PGA Tour victory.

The 31-year-old veteran enjoyed a run of improved form earlier in the season as he made seven consecutive cuts. The stretch was highlighted by a sixth-place finish in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

His near-flawless play so far in the AT&T Byron Nelson comes as a surprise, however, as he missed the cut in his last two starts, including last week at the Wells Fargo Championship.

"Conditions were so hard," Kang told reporters Friday. "You try to force it and the course is playing so tough out there. So, just try to get the opportunity, probably try to hit it within 15 feet and if I make the putt, good. If I don't, make par and get me going. I still think it was a great round."

Every opened the tournament with matching 65s in the first two rounds. The University of Florida product is looking for his third PGA Tour win, and his first since 2015. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in back-to-back years (2014 and 2015).

Duncan entered the event having missed four consecutive cuts and finishing no better than 22nd across 15 starts in 2019. He recorded two straights rounds below 70 for the first time since the Desert Classic in mid-January to put himself in contention heading into the weekend.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Romo came away encouraged by his progress despite falling well short of making the cut.

The former NFL star and current fan-favorite CBS color commentator told Todd Archer of ESPN.com he's learning what it takes to compete with the world's best golfers:

"I think more than anything, I got a sense to be able to hit a lot of high-quality shots under what is a pressure situation for me," Romo said. "That's encouraging and shows that the work you're doing holds up when it counts. And from there, you just got to find the little things that allow you to keep things going and not derail a round. Just small stuff, technique-wise, but we're coming on."

Ernie Els, Lucas Bjerregaard and Luke Donald were among the other notable players to miss the cut.

Here's a look at some more highlights from Friday's action:

Television coverage of Saturday's third round kicks off on the Golf Channel at 1 p.m. ET before shifting over to CBS at 3 p.m. ET.