Rank, Foster, McNulty qualify for U.S. Amateur Championship
STOUFFVILLE, Ont. – Garrett Rank, John Foster and Jake McNulty all qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship at Granite Golf Club on Monday.
Rank captured medallist honours after he carded a course-record, 9-under-par 63 during his second round of the day, moving him to 10 under for the tournament. The 29-year-old from Elmira, Ont., went bogey-free with nine birdies during his record-setting round.
“Any time you set a course record it’s really neat,” he said, after his medallist victory. “But more so it means that the golf was really fun. It was just fun being out there, making lots of birdies, hitting a lot of quality shots and seeing the ball roll in the hole is always fun.
“These are the days where you have to sit back for 15, 20 minutes or maybe even an hour and actually soak it in and really enjoy it because these days are few and far between.”
Rank, like the rest of the field of 72, played 36 holes in the qualifying event. During his first round, he stumbled on the final six holes of the back nine and notched three bogeys and a triple bogey – his only bogeys recorded during the entire competition.
“It was just bad course strategy,” he said, of the stretch of six holes. “I was just a little too aggressive at certain parts trying to make birdies, but in the second round I just tried to make pars during those holes and it worked out.”
Foster, a 24-year-old from Concord, Ont., finished five strokes behind Rank after he scored a 1-under-par 71 followed by a 68, both of which were highlighted by strong finishes. Heading down the final stretch, Foster, who started his final round from the tenth tee, made birdies on holes 5, 8 and 9 to secure him his second-place qualifying position.
McNulty sat back in the standings as he started his second round in the afternoon. A triple bogey on 16th hole of his opening round lead to a 1-under par 73. But, in his second round he carded just one bogey while his six birdies resulted in a 5-under-par 67 to squeeze him into the final qualifying spot by one stroke, ending the tournament at 4 under.
Matthew Ion Young and David French both earned alternate status after they finished 3 under in the qualifier. Ion Young defeated French in a one-hole playoff and will be the first alternate.
The U.S. Amateur Championship will take place at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Aug. 14-20. The tournament consists of 36 holes of stroke play before the top 64 move on to match play.
Canada’s Ben Silverman finishes T5 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank
Canada’s Ben Silverman carded a 4-under-par 67 to finish T5 at the Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah, on Saturday.
The 29-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., recorded six birdies and two bogeys to sit at 19-under par two shots back of winner Brice Garnett (Gallatin, Mo.).
Coming into this weeek Silverman’s top three finishes on the Web.com Tour this season are: T8 at the Rust-Oleum Championship, T17 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and a T19 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova.
He moved up from 73rd to 50th on the Web.com Tour Order of Merit with his best result of the season.
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Johnny Ruiz wins Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel
Camarillo, California’s Johnny Ruiz shot a final round 5-under 67 on Sunday at Whitewater Golf Club to come from behind and win the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel for his first Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada win.
The 23-year old made seven birdies on the day, including one at the 72nd hole, to reach 13-under for the week and win by one over Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok, Fulton, Mississippi’s Chad Ramey and Edmond, Oklahoma’s Max McGreevy.
The win moves Ruiz into second on the Mackenzie Tour Order of Merit, in position to earn a spot in the top three after next week’s Mackenzie Investments Open presented by Jaguar Laval and an exemption into the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open.
“It feels awesome. It’s the best win of my career, and hopefully there are more to come, but it definitely feels good to get one under the belt now,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz was making his ninth career start on the Mackenzie Tour. Earlier this year, he earned exempt status for the first eight events of the season with a T2 finish at the British Columbia Q-School.
Winner, winner ?
Johnny Ruiz fires a final round 5-under 67 to win his first #MackenzieTour title. pic.twitter.com/iUgyUsgvt3
— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 16, 2017
Ruiz had conditional status on the Mackenzie Tour in 2015 and missed the cut in all four starts. He did not begin playing golf until age 14 and notched his first pro win at the 2016 Monterey Open.
Ruiz works with noted swing instructor George Gankas, who also teaches PGA TOUR player Sung Kang.
Starting the day three shots behind Hickok and his fellow 54-hole co-leader Patrick Newcomb, Ruiz made the turn in 2-under, but still trailed as Hickok reached 14-under with a flawless front nine.
With Whitewater Golf Club showing its teeth and the Sunday pressure mounting, however, Ruiz’s steady ball-striking and calm demeanor proved critical, as he made his way to the clubhouse with three more birdies, including a two-putt at the par-5 18th to reach 13-under.
“I was just thinking one more, one more. I kept telling myself it was my day, and every time I told myself that, I made another putt. Going into 18, I thought I needed one more at least for a playoff,” said Ruiz.
Hickok, the winner at last week’s Players Cup, gave himself chances to catch Ruiz coming down the stretch, but couldn’t convert, missing putts inside of 10 feet at each of the last two holes that would have tied him at the top.
“Frustrating that I had the lead after nine and gave it up,” said Hickok. “That’s something I think I’m going to learn from, and figure out and go from there, but in hindsight looking back, they’ve been a great couple of weeks.”
Amazing people, amazing community, amazing event.
This year's @StaalOpen raised more than $270,000 for the @StaalFamily Foundation ? pic.twitter.com/ink3OUjdMU
— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 16, 2017
For Ruiz, the win marks a measure of redemption from a near-miss last month at the GolfBC Championship, where he held the lead coming up the 18th hole but made bogey and ultimately lost when Robby Shelton birdied the last to win by one.
“It feels good to finally get one,” said Ruiz.
McGreevy, a rookie who helped the University of Oklahoma to a NCAA Championship earlier this year, joined Ramey in a career-best tie for second alongside Hickok, while a shot further behind were Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge and Long Beach, California’s Brett Lederer.
With a total score of 8-under par in a tie for 15th, West Vancouver, British Columbia’s Seann Harlingten finished as the top Canadian on the leaderboard, earning Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Week honours and a $2,500 prize.
The top Canadian on the leaderboard each week takes home the award, with the top Canadian on the Order of Merit at season’s end earning the Dan Halldorson Trophy, Freedom 55 Financial Canadian Player of the Year honours and a $25,000 prize.
Despite missing the cut this week, Wilmer, Alabama’s Robby Shelton held on to his lead atop Order of Merit through five events. The top three players on the Order of Merit after next week will earn a spot into the RBC Canadian Open July 24-30 at Glen Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, along with Ruiz moving into second on the Order of Merit to secure his spot Kramer Hikcock grabbed the third spot.
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Park wins US Women’s Open in front of President Trump
Sung Hyun Park won the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday for her first LPGA Tour victory.
The 23-year-old from South Korea shot her second straight 5-under 67 and won a final-round battle with front-running Shanshan Feng and teenage amateur Hye-Jin Choi at Trump National Golf Club.
Park birdied the 15th to move into a tie for the lead and the 17th to open a two-shot edge after Choi made a double bogey on the previous hole. Park finished at 11-under 277 for a two-stroke win over Choi.
President Donald Trump attended the biggest event in women’s golf for the third straight day. There was a peaceful protest after he arrived at his box near the 15th green shortly after 3 p.m.
It ended up being a quiet week of politics. The golf was excellent.
Hoisting the ?! Sung Hyun Park #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/JdWPz3Kd05
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 16, 2017
Park needed a fine chip from over the green on the par-5 18th hole to save par and win the $900,000 top prize from the $5 million event.
Walking to the scoring tent to sign her card, she got a thumps-up from Trump from his box.
Choi finished with a 71 to finish as the low amateur for the second straight year. She was 38th in 2016.
Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (70) and fellow South Korean Mi Jung Hur (68) tied for third at 7 under. Feng, from China, had a 75 to drop into a tie for fifth at 6 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (70) and South Korea’s Jeongeun6 Lee (71).
South Koreans Sei Young Kim (69), Mirim Lee (72) and Amy Yang (75) tied for eighth at 5 under. Marina Alex of nearby Wayne, New Jersey, was the best of the American at 4 under after a 70. It was the worst finish in the Open for the top American since Paula Creamer was seventh in 2012.
Brooke Henderson (71) of Smiths Falls, Ont., tied for 13th at 3 under.
Choi was the story for most of the final round. The 17-year-old had a two-shot lead with nine holes to play and needed a birdie at 15 to regain a piece with Park.
Translation: Congratulations Sung Hyun Park! #USWomensOpen pic.twitter.com/O56pSnJbac
— LPGA (@LPGA) July 16, 2017
The 139-yard, par-3 16th over water ended her hopes. Her tee shot landed in the water to the right of the hole. She ended with a double bogey and basically lost her chance of becoming the second amateur to win the Open. She birdied the final hole.
Catherine Lacoste remains the only amateur to win the Open, doing it in 1967.
Feng, who was the leader after the first three rounds and carried a one-shot edge into the final 18 holes, triple bogeyed the final hole.
The win was redemption for Park, who is the leading rookie on the LPGA Tour this year. She had the 36-hole lead in the Open last year and shot final rounds of 74-74 to finish two shots out of a playoff with eventual champion Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist.
Park saved her best for the last two rounds this year and won. It was not her first professional win, she won seven times on the KLPGA Tour in 2016 and three times the year before.
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Bryson DeChambeau rallies to win John Deere Classic
Third-round leader Patrick Rodgers knew that it would take a ton of birdies Sunday to win the John Deere Classic.
Bryson DeChambeau took that advice to heart.
DeChambeau overcame a four-stroke deficit to beat Rodgers by a stroke for his first PGA Tour title _ and a spot next week in the British Open.
The 23-year-old DeChambeau birdied four of the final six holes at TPC Deere Run for a 6-under 65 and an 18-under 266 total. In 2015, the unconventional former SMU star became the fifth player to win the NCAA individual title and U.S. Amateur in the same year.
The win punctuated a comeback of sorts for DeChambeau, who capped a string of eight consecutive missed cuts last month in the U.S. Open – where he was 6 over for two rounds.
New TOUR winner @b_dechambeau comments following his emotional first victory at the @JDCLASSIC. https://t.co/gJmaaQhHie
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017
“I was able to right the ship about three or four weeks ago, and it’s been steady Eddie ever since,” DeChambeau said. “It is vindication.”
Rodgers closed with 70.
DeChambeau made a 14-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to pull even with Rodgers. Rodgers then had a par putt on No. 17 lip out, and sent his tee shot on 18 into the rough.
“He’s a great competitor, and I was kind of shocked he bogeyed 17,” DeChambeau said about Rodgers. “I thought I was going to be in a playoff.”
Wesley Bryan (64) and Rick Lamb (66) tied for third at 16 under, and past tournament champions Steve Stricker (64) and Zach Johnson (67) topped the group at 15 under.
DeChambeau played the front nine in even par, then birdied six of the final nine holes to surge to the top of the leaderboard.
Rodgers, on the other hand, had four bogeys _ and his approach on No. 18 sailed past the green. Rodgers nearly chipped in from 50 feet to force a playoff, missing the cup by a foot.
DeChambeau became the 10th first-time winner on the PGA Tour this season.
“Our tendency when you have the lead is to kind of hold on and play safe and guard against making mistakes,” said Rodgers, who remained winless on the PGA Tour. “But I had guys coming at me with some really low rounds. Obviously, Bryson shot a great one.”
Bryan, who won the RBC Heritage in April for his first career victory, shot a 30 on the back nine. Lamb was 13 under for the final two rounds but was done in by pedestrian efforts in the first two rounds.
Stricker, who won at TPC Deere Run from 2009-11, grabbed a share of the lead before Rodgers teed off Sunday.
A terrific effort by Rodgers, but Bryson DeChambeau secures his first TOUR victory. #QuickHits pic.twitter.com/t0rvIBfEsv
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 16, 2017
The 50-year-old Stricker went 8-under par through 14 holes to jump all the way up from 34th place. But his only bogey came on the 18th hole, when his par putt grazed the cup.
“Realistically, if I could have made a couple more birdies there and could have got it to 18-under, who knows? Just couldn’t get it in there,” Stricker said.
Johnson, who won the tournament in 2012 and has finished in the top three six times in his last eight appearances, challenged the leaders yet again before falling back. Johnson picked up bogeys on a pair of par 4s on the back nine, and he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on 14.
“My goal was to birdie every hole and give myself a chance on every hole. Early on it looked like my game plan was being executed,” Johnson said.
Bubba Watson shot a 68 to finish at 9 under.
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Canada’s Silverman T5 heading to final round of Utah Championsihp
Canada’s Ben Silverman carded a 6-under-par 65 to move to T5 during the third round of the Utah Championship at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, Utah, on Saturday.
The 29-year-old from Thronthill, Ont., recorded seven birdies and a bogey to bring him to 15-under par for the tournament, three shots back of leader Jacques Blaauw. Silverman was propelled by his strong finish when he registered three birdies in the final five holes.
His top three finishes on the Mackenzie Tour this season are: T8 at the Rust-Oleum Championship, T17 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and a T19 at the El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova.
With Trump looking on, Feng leads US Women’s Open
Shanshan Feng is going to have the president of the United States looking over her shoulder in the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open, and probably a lot of South Korean fans, too.
The 27-year-old from China rolled in a short birdie putt on the final hole Saturday to take a one-shot lead after three rounds of the biggest tournament in women’s golf.
Teenager Hye-Jin Choi and perennial Open bridesmaid Amy Yang were tied for second in an event where the South Koreans have shined.
The top six players chasing Feng are all from South Korea, and you have to go all the way to eighth place to find a U.S. player. That’s Cristie Kerr, who was five shots off the lead.
It should make for an interesting final day in a tournament that had an even bigger stage with Trump in attendance. He’s the first sitting president to attend a U.S. Women’s Open.
Feng shot a 1-under 71 to reach 9-under 207 at the president’s Trump National Golf Club.
“Coming to this week, I didn’t have any expectation at all,” said Feng, who has lead from the start after shooting a 66 in her quest for a second major. “I just _ I wanted to bring out my ‘A’ game. And then I think I did really well for the first three days, and then I’m going to stick to my game plan. I just focus on my own game and let’s see what happens.”
Choi and Yang each shot 70.
Sung Hyun Park, the top rookie on the LPGA Tour, was 6 under after a 67. Top-ranked So Yeon Ryu (71), Mirim Lee (67) and Jeongeun6 Lee (73) were 5 under.
Kerr, a former Open winner and a member at this course, was tied at 4 under with Spain’s Carlota Ciganda (72).
Feng had a one-shot lead after the first round and a two-shot margin at the halfway point, but she just could not hit it close in the third round. She had a couple of 10- to 15-footers for birdie on the back nine that never threatened the hole and she did not convert until hitting her third on the par-5 18th to about 5 feet.
Choi, the 17-year-old who is the world’s No.2 ranked amateur, might have been the most consistent player after bogeying her first hole. She birdied Nos. 8, 11 and 16 and just missed another on the final hole.
“I didn’t have the greatest start but I think if I just stay focused and play the game as maybe not necessarily play safe but maybe more aggressively I think I’m going to be OK,” Choi said through an interpreter.
Yang, who has four top-five finishes in the last five years including seconds in 2012 and ’15, had a roller-coaster round. She had five 5s, a bogey and a double bogey, which came on No. 3 after a bad shot out of a bunker.
Park played the back nine in 6 under. She led after 36 holes in this event last year and finished third, two shots out of a playoff.
“Yes, quite a few Korean players on the top leaderboard,” said Park, who said the course is similar to some in South Korea. “I think most of them, if not all, have strong capability to play really well.”
Playing with Feng, Jeongeun6 Lee had a crazy round that started with three straight bogeys. She added four birdies and two more bogeys in her final 15.
Ryu, the only two-time winner this year on the LPGA Tour, had three birdies after two early bogeys.
Mirim Lee had six birdies in the last 11 holes to get into contention.
Kerr had three birdies and bogey in the first six holes and then parred out the rest of the way.
“I feel pretty good,” Kerr said. “I’m going out there doing my thing and I’m trying to be in a good mental space where I’m not putting pressure on myself.”
With the arrival of the president Friday afternoon, security was stepped up Saturday. Dogs sniffed cars driven by players entering the course and fans and media had to walk through airport-type security checkpoints.
Outside the course, a small procession of cars and trucks circled the course and bore signs criticizing Trump and supporting women’s rights.
Trump spent the night in his house on the course and took the short drive from his residence to his box overlooking the 15th green, arriving around 2:35 p.m. Walking up the stairs, he yelled to the crowd asking them about the players’ scores.
Brooke Henderson of Canada was at 2 under, along with Christina Kim, who shot a 68 playing in the first group, and moved into a tie for 12th place.
Stacy Lewis, the former No.1 ranked women who has not won since 2014, played her first 10 holes in 5 under and moved within a shot of the lead heading to No. 11. However, she flubbed a couple of chips near the green and took a triple bogey. Her day ended miserable with a 10 on 18, leaving her at 2 over.
Defending champion Brittany Lang saw any chance of repeating end with an 8-over 80.
Hickok, Newcomb share 54-hole Staal Foundation Open lead
Dallas, Texas’ Kramer Hickok and Murray, Kentucky’s Patrick Newcomb reached 11-under through 54 holes on Saturday at Whitewater Golf Club to share the lead heading into the final round of the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the fifth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
Hickok, coming off a win last week at the Players Cup, carded 1-under 71 in round three to give himself a chance at his second consecutive Mackenzie Tour win, while Newcomb, a winner earlier this year on PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, managed a 3-under 69 to match Hickok at 11-under, one stroke ahead of Fulton, Mississippi’s Chad Ramey through three rounds in Thunder Bay.
“I’m still playing good golf,” said Hickok, who will look to become the first player during the Mackenzie Tour’s PGA TOUR era (2013-present) to win in back-to-back weeks. “I’m doing everything that I need to do, which starts with limiting mistakes and getting the ball in the fairway to start.”
“I’ve played really well. I’ve had some really quality stretches of golf. Today was a roller-coaster ride. I got off to a really hot start and forgot how to play golf for a few holes, and then figured it out coming home,” said Newcomb, who will look to become the first player to win on both PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and the Mackenzie Tour on Sunday.
Hickok and Newcomb were among the 78 players who returned to finish their second rounds on Saturday morning after play was suspended on Friday due to darkness. Hickok played nine holes in 5-under par to complete a 7-under 65 in round two, then made just one bogey and two birdies in round three to share the 54-hole lead.
With plenty of momentum from his Players Cup win, the 25-year old Hickok said he’d rely on his experience last week in Winnipeg, where he secured the win with birdies on each of his final two holes.
“It’s something I’m always going to look back on and just rely on down the stretch. I’ve done it before, and so I can keep on doing it now. It’s nice to know I can bring out my best stuff when I need it,” said Hickok.
Ramey, who led after Thursday’s play, carded his second 66 of the week, while a group of four players – Kimberley, B.C.’s Jared du Toit, Mequon, Wisconsin’s Jordan Niebrugge, Osceola, Wisconsin’s Charlie Danielson and Maysville, Kentucky’s Mark Blakefield – were a shot further behind at 9-under.
Patrick Rodgers maintains 2 stroke lead at John Deere Classic
Patrick Rodgers is 18 holes away from his first PGA Tour win.
But the 25-year-old former Stanford star knows that it’ll likely take a lower score than the one he shot Saturday to secure such a milestone victory.
Rodgers shot a 3-under 68 in the third round, maintaining a two-stroke lead in the John Deere Classic.
Rodgers had a 16-under 197 total at TPC Deere Run. He’s trying to become the third player in five years to win the Quad Cities event for his first PGA Tour title.
“It’s going to be a shootout because there’s a lot of birdies to be made out here, and I’m going to have to make my fair share in order to stay at the top,” Rodgers said.
Daniel Berger had a 63 to match Scott Stallings (64) at 14 under.
Nicholas Lindheim (66) was 13 under, and Jamie Lovemark (66), Bryson DeChambeau (70) and J.J. Henry (68) were another stroke back. Area favourite Zach Johnson had a 70 to drop five strokes back.
Rodgers, who opened with rounds of 65 and 64, was hampered by a pair of bogeys. But Rodgers also had five birdies, and he saved par on the 17th after hitting his tee shot into the gallery.
“I wasn’t as sharp as I was the past couple of days. So, I guess I did a good job mentally to get in at 3-under par,” Rodgers said. “All in all, if you told me at the start of the day that I’d have the same lead I started with, that’s a positive thing.”
Berger, who won the St. Jude Classic last month in Memphis and lost a playoff at the Travelers Championship in his last event when Jordan Spieth holed out a bunker shot, birdied seven of his first 11 holes. Six of those birdie putts came from inside 10 feet.
Berger and Rodgers are among four players with a tournament-high 19 birdies.
“In Memphis I drove the ball phenomenally. This week I haven’t driven it that well, but I’ve kind of kept it in play for the most part and I’ve made a bunch of putts, which has been the difference,” said Berger, one of only two players in the top 10 in the FedEx Cup standings in the field.
Stallings shot a 30 on the back nine and eagled the par-5 17th hole with a 22-foot putt. He’s shot back-to-back 64s after opening with a 71 on Thursday.
“I can’t control what anyone else does. I couldn’t event tell you some of the other guys that are on the leaderboard,” Stallings said. “We’ve gotten ourselves this far, and we’re happy to be in the position we’re in.”
Johnson, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native who won at TPC Deere Run in 2012 and notched six top-three finishes in his last eight appearances, again drew the biggest galleries. But he followed an eagle on the 14th hole with a double bogey on No. 15.
Bubba Watson’s decision to skip the Scottish Open for the chance to accumulate FedEx Cup points might not work out in his favour. Watson had a 68 and was tied for 57th at 6 under.
Kelly Kraft made arguably the day’s most impressive shot on No. 17. His tee shot landed on a walkway behind a hospitality tent, and Kraft hit his second shot over 200 yards and eventually saved par.
du Toit, Chan, Garrick share lead at suspended Staal Foundation Open
Kimberley, British Columbia’s Jared du Toit, Honolulu, Hawaii’s Lorens Chan and Atherton, California’s Jonathan Garrick all reached 8-under par and shared the second-round lead before play was suspended due to darkness at the Staal Foundation Open presented by Tbaytel, the fifth event of the 2017 Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada season.
Du Toit, a Golf Canada National Team member, carded a 2-under 70 to post the clubhouse lead through 36 holes and was matched shortly after by Chan thanks to a second-round 67, while Garrick reached 8-under through seven holes of his second round when play was called for the day.
“I did a pretty good job of committing to every shot. I was never too far out of position, and the few times I was, I was able to recover pretty well. It was a grind, but I’m definitely happy with the way it went,” said du Toit, who played 35 holes on Friday.
Productive day at the office for @Jareddutoit.
He's 8-under heading to the weekend at the #StaalOpen. pic.twitter.com/OpRUw1vvLe
— Mackenzie Tour (@PGATOURCanada) July 14, 2017
du Toit is coming off a standout amateur career that concluded in June with his senior season at Arizona State University, where he was named a 2017 NCAA 2nd team All-American.
He captured the attention of a nation last year when he played his way into the final group on Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open before finishing T9.
Du Toit turned professional at the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by Times Colonist and earned status on the Mackenzie Tour by placing inside the top-60 on the Order of Merit through the first re-shuffle after last week’s Players Cup.
Like du Toit, Chan had only just teed off on his first hole when play was suspended Thursday and made it through a marathon day with rounds of 69 and 67 on Friday to share the lead.
“It was just about making sure I could last all day, because I knew it was going to be hot and humid. I just wanted to stay level and not use too much energy,” said Chan, who finished his day with a birdie at the difficult par-4 ninth. “I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty tired towards the end. Nine’s a tough hole, but I hit a good tee shot. It was nice to finish with a birdie.”
Garrick’s day started early and finished late, having completed two holes – and making birdie at both – this morning to conclude an opening 7-under 65, then coming back in the evening to get his second round started.
“I feel good about my game. I’ve had stretches where I played well, but I’m starting to feel calmer mentally on the golf course, so to put together a bunch of good holes and put myself in position is good just because I haven’t done that yet this year,” said Garrick.
78 players were left to complete round two when play was suspended and will resume in position at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.
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