Kris Kim, 16, becomes youngest player to make the cut on the PGA Tour for nine years after historic performance in South Carolina

Kris Kim, a 16-year-old amateur playing on a sponsor exemption at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, became the youngest player in nine years to make the cut in a PGA Tour event.

Kim finished his second round Friday with a birdie for a four-under 67. 

At seven-under for the tournament, he was among 66 players who made the cut, which was six-under.

At 16 years, seven months old, Kim surpassed Jordan Spieth as the youngest player to make the cut at the Nelson. 

Spieth was two months shy of his 17th birthday when made his first PGA Tour start at his hometown event in 2010, and finished tied for 16th.

Kris Kim became the youngest player in nine years to make the cut in a PGA Tour event

Kim, a 16-year-old amateur, is playing on a sponsor exemption at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson

Kim surpassed Jordan Spieth as the youngest player to make the cut at the Nelson

Kim, who is the son of former LPGA Tour player and South Korea native Ji-Hyun Suh, is making his PGA Tour debut.

He is the first amateur sponsored by South Korean company CJ Group, which is the title sponsor of the Nelson for the first time.

Kyle Suppa was 16 when he made the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii in 2015.

Former restaurant security guard Jake Knapp is currently leading the tournament.

Just more than two years after working security at a restaurant in his hometown that was also a late-night hotspot, Knapp went into this weekend leading after a second consecutive seven-under 64 on Friday. 

At 14-under 128, he was a stroke ahead of Troy Merritt and first-round leader Matt Wallace, and two ahead of Kelly Kraft (66).

Former restaurant security guard Jake Knapp is currently leading the event in South Carolina

'Even when I was doing any of that stuff, I always knew this was what I wanted to do, and felt like it's where I should be. Just wasn´t there yet,' Knapp said. 'Just kept working away and sticking at it.'

Merritt closed his season-low round with an eagle at the 531-yard ninth hole, where he hit his approach to 16 feet and made that putt. He had birdied four of the previous six holes.

Wallace finished on the same par five later in the day, and saved par after driving into a native area and then chunking a shot from there to under a bridge.

Hometown favorite Spieth, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 20, shot a 70 to finish at four-under 138 and miss the cut by two strokes. 

On the 16th, his wayward drive ricocheted off the elbow of a male spectator back into the fairway. He still bogeyed the hole, then parred his last two.