2023-05-20 03:07:15
The American Scottie Scheffler, number two in world golf, stood on Friday among a trio of leaders in the PGA Championship, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, while the Spanish Jon Rahm recovered and made the cut by two strokes.
Rahm, number one on the PGA circuitleft behind his catastrophic first day and signed in the rain and the wind a solvent second round of 68 shots, two under par, which will allow him to finish the tournament at the Oak Hill course in Rochester (New York).
His closest rival in the world ranking, Scottie Scheffler, will start the decisive weekend at the top of the table along with the Norwegian Viktor Hovland and the Canadian Corey Conners, all of them with an accumulated 135 strokes, five under par.
Scheffler, 2022 Augusta Masters championhad started the day one stroke behind the leader on Thursday, his compatriot Bryson DeChambeau, one of the figures of the rival LIV Golf circuit.
DeChambeau slackened in the second round and dropped to fourth joint with American Justin Suh, both within two strokes of the lead.
«I think I’ve done pretty well«, Scheffler congratulated himself after signing a 68-stroke card (-2). »I didn’t make as many birdies as I would have liked, but I had a pretty good number«.
Conners also had a 68-punch count Friday and Hovland 67. Both are looking to hoist their first big trophy Sunday in Rochester.
“I’m very happy,” said Conners, who won his second PGA trophy at the Texas Open last month. “The conditions were difficult, there was wind and rain.”
On his side Hovland, 25, is one of the most promising golfers of the moment, owns three PGA titles and finished in seventh place last month in Augusta.
For Jon Rahm, dreams of being the first Spaniard to win the PGA Championship came crashing down with a disastrous 76 (+6) first round.
This Friday, the winner of the past Augusta Masters returned to Oak Hill determined to restore his pride.
In the first half of the round, he stabilized his game and completed it with a birdie on the second hole and without committing bogeys.
Then he stumbled with bogeys on holes 12 and 16 but three birdies in a row between 13 and 16 allowed him to finish the round in 68 shots and a cumulative 144, four over par, with which he cleared the cutoff line by two shots.
“Apart from the moments when it rained a lot, which were just here and there, I think the conditions were a bit easier. It wasn’t that windy so the course was a bit easier,” Rahm compared.
“As far as I was concerned, obviously I hit much better, I only missed two greens. I hit very, very well, and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities. If I had holed out a little better, I would be a little closer to the fight, “he said.
‘Rahmbo’ will start the weekend from the distant 49th place while the Chilean Mito Pereira entered the top 20 in another great performance in this Grand Slam and will be the only Latin American present at the weekend.
The Santiago player signed a second round of 69 shots (-1) and was ranked 19th with a cumulative 141 (+1)
Last year, Pereira was the great sensation of the event, leading until the dramatic last hole of the final round, in which he collapsed with a double bogey and fell one step away from being the first Latin American champion.
“I think I’m playing quite similar to last year,” said the Chilean. “I just know myself a little more and have a little more experience.”
His compatriot Joaquín Niemann, on the other hand, said goodbye to the tournament by repeating a disappointing card of 74 strokes and falling to 98th place with an accumulated 148 (+8).
Colombian Nico Echavarría and Argentine Emiliano Grillo were also eliminated, both in 109th place with 149 hits (+9) and Mexican Abraham Ancer, in 122nd with 151 (+11).
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