NEWBURGH, Ind. – After an opening-round 63 on Thursday to match the course record, Trey Mullinax posted a 1-under 71 on Friday to reach 10-under at the halfway point of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance. Mullinax leads rookie Hayden Buckley by one stroke and a quartet of players by three strokes at Victoria National Golf Club.

“I feel good about my game,” said Mullinax. “I think 1-under today was about the worst I could shoot. I played really well. I made some good par putts but missed some good opportunities as well. I feel like my game is in a really good spot. If I keep my head down and I stay patient, I feel like I can have a good week.”

Mullinax, a 29-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, was 3-under on the day after birdies at Nos. 2, 5 and 10, but fell back to 1-under with later bogeys at the 14th and 16th holes. The former University of Alabama star has battled multiple injuries to his feet and back over the past couple of years.

“Before my back went out in Knoxville, I was T5 going into the weekend and was playing great, playing how I am now,” reflected Mullinax. “I had an errant swing, my foot slipped, and my back went out. I had to deal with that for a whole month. I was around The 25 at the time. My back foot slipped, my back went out, I had to deal with that for a month, and then I had gout for three weeks.”

In the final event of 2020, at the Orange County National Championship presented by Knight 39, Mullinax broke through with his second career victory. The win gave Mullinax’s career a jolt as he attempted to return to the PGA TOUR after competing full-time on TOUR from 2017-19. Though he finished outside The 25 at the conclusion of the Korn Ferry Tour’s regular season, he ranked T25 in the Finals points standings entering the week, likely needing approximately a top-20 finish to secure a return to the PGA TOUR.

“I mean, I get the texts to tell me I was 25th; I’d rather be in The (Finals) 25 than out of it,” laughed Mullinax. “I knew how important this week was. I was trying to treat it like any other tournament, though.”

Mullinax previously graduated to the PGA TOUR following the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour season, which saw him win the REX Hospital Open and finish eighth on the regular season money list.

Mullinax leads former University of Missouri star Hayden Buckley by one after Buckley opened with rounds of 67-68. Buckley is looking to secure his first PGA TOUR card. Lee Hodges, Dawie van der Walt, Michael Gligic and Lee Hodges each sit three strokes back at 7-under 137.

Second-round tee times will run from approximately 6:45 p.m. to 1 p.m. off of the first tee. Golf Channel will provide tape-delayed coverage from 8-10 p.m. ET.