Cink leads by six in Phoenix as darkness halts Austin with Crowe at 13 under

Stewart Cink takes a six-shot lead into Saturday at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship after a Friday 65 at Phoenix Country Club. He's 14 under, with Steve Allan second at 8 under and Zach Johnson, the only player who can still take the season-long Schwab Cup from him, seven back (Golfweek via AOL, Field Level Media via Yardbarker).

Platforms

Indoor Golf Shop has the Garmin R50 at $500 off, with its SIG simulator packages $1,000 off, and posted an Omni or MLM2 Pro buying guide for anyone torn between a sim-room unit and a portable one. Those are retailer prices, so check the package contents before you buy.

Build & Gear

MyGolfSpy lists seven recent fitting mistakes, including ones made by Tour pros, and the 20 products its testers refuse to give up. GolfWRX has a close look at Cole Sherwood's sand wedge from Austin.

Courses & Play

WTGL posted Annika Sörenstam's tips for Slippery Slope, her latest design. Her first WTGL design, the par-3 SOS, debuted in the league's opening match on Nov. 8, and her second was billed as a par 4 that can play up to 511 yards (The Golf Wire, Love Live Golf).

Creators

Good Good's Austin Championship sponsorship fell apart after a controversy, and Compliance Solutions stepped in as presenting sponsor (Golf Digest, Golfweek). Levelwear built the event's merchandise from scratch in a few weeks around Austin and Texas themes, and the local designs are selling fastest (Golfweek).

Swing Lab

Brooks Koepka is working with Brad Faxon on putting and Darren May on his full swing before the RSM Classic, his first PGA Tour start since August. Golfweek reports he ranked 131st in strokes gained putting this season and went back to a blade putter after his first session with Faxon (Golfweek, NUCLR Golf).

The Game

Johnson opened Friday with five straight birdies but bogeyed the last two for a 66. Cink made three bogeys in his first six holes, then birdied seven of his last 10 for a back-nine 29.

At The ANNIKA, Carlota Ciganda (63), Lindy Duncan (66) and Hye-Jin Choi (67) share the lead at 12 under. Nelly Korda is four back after a 69 with 17 pars, and a win would make her eligible for the LPGA Hall of Fame (LPGA, AP via ABC News).

Darkness suspended the Austin Championship for a second straight day. Trace Crowe is 13 under through 16 holes and faces a 55-foot birdie putt on the 17th when play resumes Saturday morning. Kevin Yu finished at 12 under, and Brian Harman and Kristoffer Ventura are at 11 under. Blades Brown shot 70 to sit at 9 under. Karl Vilips withdrew before round two with a neck injury, and C.T. Pan withdrew during it with a rib injury (PGA Tour/AP, KP Sports leaderboard, PGA Tour Communications, Ron Mintz).

In Dubai, Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton share the 36-hole lead; our Friday story has the Race to Dubai math.

Golf Channel won't renew Morgan Pressel's contract as lead LPGA analyst for 2027, and Paige Mackenzie replaced her in the booth this week. NBC says Pressel will still work the final round of the CME Group Tour Championship (Golfweek, Golfmagic).

Coming up and why it matters

• Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15: Austin, The ANNIKA, Dubai and the Schwab Cup finish. Korda's Hall of Fame eligibility and the Race to Dubai title are both on the line.
• Monday, Nov. 16: Boston Common plays Motor City in WTGL at SoFi Center (ESPN).
• Nov. 19-22: Koepka debuts his new coaching setup at the RSM Classic, and the CME Group Tour Championship plays for an $11 million purse with $4 million to the winner (CME Group Tour Championship, Golfweek).