Scottie Scheffler continues to softly oscillate up and down the leaderboard. A bogey this time as he dumps his second right into a bunker guarding the entrance of 16. He can’t stand up and down, and he’s again to degree par.
Lucas Herbert bounces again in fashion. He’s barely unfortunate as his second into 3 catches a slope that sends his ball rolling off the inexperienced and down a swale. That wasn’t far off being very shut, however away it goes. Regardless of! He chips up and in to get again to -3. Limiting the injury to bogey on 2 out of the blue feels enormous.
Scottie Scheffler sends his second into the center of 15, permitting the camber to ship his ball on an enormous right-to-left journey down in the direction of the flag. His ball stops six ft brief, and he makes the birdie putt, repairing just a little of the injury made by these back-to-back bogeys. He’s again into the pink at -1, although not bothering the toppermost of the poppermost fairly but.
-5: McIlroy (F)
-4: Zalatoris (F), Hoge (F)
-3: Kuchar (F), Ancer (F)
-2: Kirk (F), Pereira (F), Schauffele (F), Smith (F), Na (F), Riley (F), Thomas (16), Fitzpatrick (12), Herbert (11*), Kizzire (10*)
An enormous bogey putt this time. Lucas Herbert is in all types of hassle down 2, having discovered a water hazard together with his drive. After taking a drop, he sends his third right into a bunker behind the inexperienced. His escape from sand isn’t all that, however he guides within the left-to-right 12-footer to restrict to the injury to bogey. He slips to -2. In the meantime native lad Talor Gooch is in the home with a 69.
An enormous par save for Collin Morikawa on 14. Having left his tee shot on the par-three wanting the inexperienced, then leaving his second 20 ft brief, a 3rd bogey in 5 holes appears most probably. However he rattles within the putt to stay at +1. Pars too for Scottie Scheffler (E) and Jon Rahm (+2) and Rory McIlroy (-5, ft up, cigar on) shall be a cheerful man proper now.
Matt Fitzpatrick clips his tee shot at 11 to 6 ft, and makes no mistake with the birdie putt. He’s -2. In the meantime birdie for Justin Thomas at 15, and the 2017 champ strikes to -2 as nicely.
Whereas the marquee group struggles, Lucas Herbert is as soon as once more the primary man of the second wave. Birdie at 1 takes the Aussie again as much as -3.
-5: McIlroy (F)
-4: Zalatoris (F), Hoge (F)
-3: Kuchar (F), Ancer (F), Herbert (10*)
-2: Kirk (F), Pereira (F), Schauffele (F), Smith (F), Na (F), Riley (F), Kizzire (8*), Clever (8)
Seems that Scheffler was in additional hassle than everybody initially thought. His drive discovered a creek, so he needed to take a penalty drop earlier than hitting out of the difficulty down the left of 13. It’s back-to-back bogeys for the world primary, and he’s again to degree par. His manner is nonetheless a lot cooler than companion Jon Rahm, who blades a chip, then races a protracted putt previous the outlet; his bogey drops him to +2.
Scheffler is getting just a little bit ragged. One other wayward drive, this time into the timber down the left of the Homeric journey that’s the 628-yard par-five thirteenth. Once more he whips out, taking an aggressive line with a lot hassle round, and once more he practically sends his ball right into a watery grave. However the ball stops brief, and he’s again in place. A great likelihood for an up and all the way down to make birdie! Then he practically dunks his lob wedge right into a bunker. His ball simply will get over, selecting the perimeter, from the place he’ll take a look at birdie from 20 ft, however he’s making heavy work for himself proper now.
Three birdies in 4 holes for Aaron Clever, and the 25-year-old from Vegas rises to -2. His compatriot Patton Kizzire is alongside him after selecting up pictures at 13 and now 17. Birdie for Tommy Fleetwood at 10 brings the joyous Evertonian as much as -1. And there are back-to-back birdies for Louis Oosthuizen at 10 and 11, repairing all of the injury of an outward 9 of 37. Final yr’s joint runner-up is again to degree par.
Scottie Scheffler probabilities his arm on 12. He flays his tee shot into the timber down the suitable. Recognizing a spot between a few branches, he opts towards taking his medication and as a substitute of fastidiously chipping out sideways, powers his ball via that hole as a substitute. He clips a number of leaves en route, and his ball practically squirts right into a creek on the opposite aspect of the golf green. It stops simply wanting hassle, and he’s in a position to chip shut and scramble his pa… scrub that! He horseshoes out from a few ft, and drops to -1. Hmm. In the meantime Shane Lowry can’t stand up and down from the bunker at 14, however regardless of slipping again to +1, there’s no effing and blinding this time, so there’s no additional assault of the vapours Chez Sky. All excellent news. All people glad.
Shane Lowry is battling with himself proper now. He slices his second on the par-five thirteenth into the drink. He then chips from 85 yards to fifteen ft and drains the par saver, however instantly dunks his tee shot on the following gap, a par-three, into deep sand on the entrance. He loudly utters the f-word, “fuck”, a few occasions, inflicting UK broadcaster Sky Sports activities to apologise to its viewers of adults, regardless of it being practically 11pm BST, fairly a while previous the watershed. Anyway, he’ll want one other tremendous up and down if he’s to stay at degree par.
Now it’s Collin Morikawa’s flip to bounce again with a birdie. He fires his tee shot on the par-three eleventh straight on the flag. The ball threatens to topple again off the inexperienced, however sticks on the perimeter, from the place Morikawa guides in a left-to-right slider. He returns to degree par.
It’s been a reasonably depressing day for Patrick Cantlay. The reigning FedEx Cup champion took 38 strokes on his method out, and he’s simply pulled a tiddler left of the cup at 12 to drop one more shot. He’s +4.
The 2020 champion Collin Morikawa’s run of pars involves a disappointing finish. Bogey at 10, the results of sending his second shot right into a bunker. He’s +1. A bounceback birdie for his enjoying companion Scottie Scheffler, although, and the Masters champ rises to -2 once more.
The wind continues to blow. Not significantly dramatically, however sufficient to provide the gamers pause for thought. In any other case, it’s a little bit of a low-energy afternoon. Not an excessive amount of pleasure proper now, apart from Matt Fitzpatrick taking three to get down from the perimeter at 7 and dropping again to -1. Loads of time left for drama this week. It’ll come.
Tommy Fleetwood’s day will get higher and higher! First Everton safe their Premier League standing by getting back from 2-0 down towards Crystal Palace to win 3-2. Now he trundles in a chip from the entrance of 8 to get again to degree par. A world-class shot! Nil satis nisi optimum.
Scottie Scheffler will get an enormous break on 9. He hooks his tee shot into the timber down the left, however the ball pings again onto the golf green. The kind of factor that occurs to world quantity ones. Nevertheless he doesn’t make the most of his luck, leaving his second wanting the inexperienced. He can’t scramble par, and slips again to -1.
Ewan Murray is at Southern Hills. Right here’s his tackle Rory McIlroy’s tremendous opening spherical of 65. That was ten pictures higher than Lee Westwood, who has misplaced a sponsor over this LIV enterprise, one thing additionally touched upon on this article. To reiterate: the LIV Golf Sequence can do one!
Matt Fitzpatrick sticks his tee shot on the par-three sixth pin excessive, 16 ft to the suitable. He rolls the putt straight into the cup, within the calm trend, and rises to -2 once more. He’s met there by Lucas Herbert, coming the opposite method after dunking his strategy at 15 into deep sandy hassle.
-5: McIlroy (F)
-4: Zalatoris (F), Hoge (F)
-3: Kuchar (F), Ancer (F)
-2: Kirk (F), Pereira (F), Schauffele (F), Smith (F), Na (F), Riley (F), Scheffler (8), Schwartzel (6), Fitzpatrick (6), Herbert (6*)
Jon Rahm makes an terrible balls of the par-three eighth. His tee shot takes a scorching bounce over the again of the inexperienced. He then blades his chip previous the flag and off the entrance. He can’t stand up and down from 60 ft, and that’s a double that crashes him down the standings to +1. His companions are in higher temper and higher nick: Collin Morikawa has made eight straight pars, whereas Scottie Scheffler pars to stay at -2.
There’s not an excellent deal taking place for Tommy Fleetwood. He’s +1 via 5 after dropping one at 3. However his beloved Everton are secure from relegation, so it’s swings and roundabouts!
… and Herbert was so very practically joined there at -3 by Schwartzel! The South African seemed to have rolled in a reasonably straight downhill 12-footer on 5, just for the ball, simply because it ready to drop over the lip, took just a little shimmy to the left and stayed up. Eh? Undecided how that occurred, however there we’ve it. He stays at -2.
Lucas Herbert turns into the most popular participant of the afternoon wave! The 26-year-old from Queensland received his first PGA Tour occasion earlier this season on the Bermuda Championship, and is the present Irish Open champion. So whereas he doesn’t have a lot of a report within the majors but, he has type elsewhere. He’s simply adopted up birdies at 10 and 13 by curling a long-distance right-to-left swinger into the cup from the again of 14. He’s the one participant from the second wave of starters to achieve as excessive as -3. To this point.
-5: McIlroy (F)
-4: Zalatoris (F), Hoge (F)
-3: Kuchar (F), Ancer (F), Herbert (5*)
-2: Kirk (F), Pereira (F), Schauffele (F), Smith (F), Na (F), Riley (F), Scheffler (7), Schwartzel (4)
Justin Thomas has began to maneuver within the fallacious path. He can’t stand up and down from sand on the entrance of 9, and it’s again to again bogeys. He’s again the place he began at degree par.
Fairly a number of gamers have been battling the bunkers at present. Tiger, for one. Brooks is one other. Having didn’t stand up and down from sand at 8, he repeats the failure at 9, and the two-time champion is popping in 40 strokes. He’s +5, and these kind of days occur to us all. Succour for weekend hackers in all places. Hey, we want it.
Justin Thomas drops his first stroke of the week. It’s the results of discovering the bunker to the suitable of the par-three eighth. He slips again to -1. His place alongside Scottie Scheffler at -2 has been taken by 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, who follows up birdie at 1 with one other at 4.
Rickie Fowler holes out from a bunker at 7. The birdie cancels out the shot he dropped on the opening gap, and I can reveal that he’s nonetheless slicing fairly the sprint together with his Vic Colfari moustache.
Brooks Koepka continues to wrestle. He pulls his tee shot on the par-three eighth strategy to the left, then chunks his chip right into a bunker. He can solely hack out to twenty ft … however then rolls the bogey putt straight into the cup. Troublesome to know whether or not that can make him just a little happier or not. You’d suspect not. He’s +4. That hip should nonetheless be bothering him. Koepka enjoying with a dodgy hip, Bryson already withdrawn because of a sore wrist … this was alleged to be the rivalry of the age. The place’s our rivalry of the age?! Get nicely quickly, fellows.
Belated phrase of John Daly. The 1991 champion was mixing it with the leaders for some time, however ran out of
whisky and water
Scottie Scheffler makes mincemeat of the 665-yard par-five fifth! He bashes a 380 yard drive down the center, then attracts a fairway wooden across the timber into the center of the inexperienced, tucked away just a little on the left. That’s ten ft away! That’s absurd. He rolls within the putt, and abruptly the world primary and new Masters champion joins Jesse Mueller and Justin Thomas as the one gamers on the market this afternoon at -2. His enjoying companion Jon Rahm’s birdie (-1) appears positively mundane by comparability.
Jesse Mueller bounces again instantly with birdie at 17! He practically spins one other strategy into the cup from the centre of the golf green, however this one stops a few ft to the suitable of the outlet. He pops within the putt and he’s again to -2. In do-si-do information, he as soon as once more swaps locations with Matt Fitzpatrick, who yips a tiddler on 3 to ship a unnecessary shot. He slips to -1.
It’s simply not taking place for Brooks Koepka. He crashes an enormous drive down 7, then wedges to 6 ft. He appears to have confidently nailed the birdie putt, just for the ball to sling across the again of the cup and cease out. He’s pressured to accept par and stays at +3.
… and having introduced up Mueller, the membership professional drops his first stroke of the afternoon quickly after. Bogey at 16, and he’s again to -1. He’s changed at -2 by Justin Thomas, who birdies the super-long (665 yards) par-five fifth. Time for a take a look at that outdated leaderboard!
-5: McIlroy (F)
-4: Zalatoris (F), Hoge (F)
-3: Kuchar (F), Ancer (F)
-2: Kirk (F), Pereira (F), Schauffele (F), Smith (F), Na (F), Riley (F), Thomas, (5), Fitzpatrick (2)
