Justin Suh took the lead with a second-round 66 on the Memorial Tournament offered by Workday, and one factor is for certain: If he’s to nab his first PGA TOUR title at Muirfield Village, he’ll need to earn it.
Hideki Matsuyama (65, one again), Patrick Cantlay (67, two again) and Jon Rahm (70, 4 again) have 4 Memorial wins between them. Three-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy (68, 4 again) doesn’t have any – and by his personal admission has by no means critically contended – and nor does 2015 FedExCup champ Jordan Spieth (72, 5 again).
ALSO READ: Only a few South Africans to play US Open
All 5 are contending, but it surely’s Suh who has his nose out front.
Suh leads Memorial at midway mark
ALSO READ: US Open – what you could learn about June’s Major
“This year I’ve put myself in this position a few times,” mentioned Suh, who has two top-10 finishes this season, together with a T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship, and is 69th within the FedExCup. “Didn’t do nice on the weekends as I might have hoped, however I feel over time and expertise, I feel it is going to get me in all probability just a little bit extra snug.
“You learn a little bit more about yourself and how well can you handle the situation,” he added.
Playing within the morning wave, Matsuyama sizzled with a 7-under 65 to guide for a lot of the day.
“My putting,” Matsuyama mentioned, when requested about the perfect a part of his day. He birdied three of his final 4 holes, together with birdie bombs of 25 ft on the par-5 seventh gap and 33 ft on the par-3 eighth. “To make those putts at 7 and 8 were huge,” he mentioned.
ALSO READ: Explained: Louis Oosthuizen might by no means play the Masters once more
The 2014 Memorial champion from Japan made 126 1/2 ft of putts Friday, in the future after that quantity was solely 47 and he ranked in deep damaging numbers in Strokes Gained: Putting.
Cantlay, the 2019 and 2021 Memorial champion, could also be hitting it higher than anybody. He was No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green by means of the primary two rounds. He is shedding strokes to the sector on the greens, but when he will get the placing circled, be careful.
“These golf tournaments are marathons,” mentioned Cantlay, who’s aiming for his first win with caddie Joe LaCava. “So as much as you can click in and focus on every shot, that’s really my goal.”
McIlroy, who has been rising from a droop, has been strong by means of the bag, particularly on the greens. His bounce-back 68 was particularly spectacular in mild of his misadventures on the final gap Thursday, when his errant tee shot received hung up on the sting of a bunker, the ball nestling right into a borderline inconceivable lie. His triple-bogey 7 soured an in any other case good spherical.
McIlroy strikes into competition
Although he hasn’t gained right here in 11 begins, his greatest a T4 in 2016, he’s in place to vary that.
“I got one bad break on 18 with that ball finishing on the bank of the bunker,” McIlroy mentioned. “So, I really feel like I’m one shot out of leading this golf tournament. That rolls down it into the bunker, hopefully able to hit it on the green and make a 4, and instead of standing here at 4-under, I would be at 7-under and feeling really good about everything.”
World No. 2 Rahm started his second spherical with two straight bogeys however rolled in birdies on 15 and 18 and made a great par save on 17 for his second straight 2-under 70. With his report right here, nobody is counting him out, particularly given the truth that he’s gained 4 instances already this season.
“Hit a lot of good putts that just didn’t go in,” Rahm mentioned. “But I always like to think that things usually even out and we kind of guessed the wind very well on 16 and made three really good putts on 15, 17, and 18 to kind of post a really good score.”
Rickie Fowler has been one of many comeback tales of the season, with 5 top-10 finishes. He is as much as twenty sixth within the FedExCup and chasing his first victory for the reason that 2019 WM Phoenix Open. He holed out for eagle on the par-5 fifteenth gap, signed for a 4-under 68, and was 4 off the lead. This, he added, regardless of not having his greatest stuff.
“That’s what’s probably been the biggest thing,” he mentioned of his revival – i.e. getting higher outcomes when he’s a bit off.
TOUR winners and main winners, harmful gamers are in every single place you look on this leaderboard, those who’ve gained at Jack’s Place most harmful of all. But you by no means know; every of the greats needed to get his first win someplace, and if Suh prevails over this lineup of all-stars, it is going to solely sweeten the deal.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY WADE PRETORIUS
Source link
