Daily News 19

Tag: Ryan Gerard

  • Chris Gotterup Says There Would Have Been ‘a lot of complaining’ If the PGA Tour Had Not Made One Change at East Lake

    Chris Gotterup Says There Would Have Been ‘a lot of complaining’ If the PGA Tour Had Not Made One Change at East Lake

    Chris Gotterup is within one stroke of the lead heading into the weekend at the Tour Championship after following his opening-round 64 with a 67 on Friday.

    The 27-year-old is tied just one shot behind leaders Viktor Hovland and Ryan Gerard with 36 holes remaining at East Lake. A victory would give Gotterup a serious chance of winning the PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

    Gotterup narrowly missed out on the United States Ryder Cup team last year after producing some exceptional golf, but his performances have arguably improved further this season.

    Chris Gotterup discusses East Lake’s toughest hole

    Gotterup spoke to the media after his second round on Friday and was asked about the increasingly difficult conditions at East Lake.

    “It definitely got a little harder when the wind switched and picked up a little bit,” Gotterup admitted.

    “Like a hole like 15 was really hard to get a club that, one, landed pin high, and two, was on the green.

    “We were hitting from 155. We were laughing and saying, if we played the back box today, there would be a lot of complaining going on.”

    The 15th hole can be stretched beyond 200 yards. Had it played to its full distance on Friday, the par-three would have been almost impossible to negotiate.

    East Lake’s challenging 15th hole

    Even from 155 yards, the 15th was the most difficult hole at East Lake during the second round. Players averaged 0.138 strokes over par on the hole.

    Only three birdies were recorded throughout the day, the same number as double bogeys or worse.

    Strong winds caused problems for players hitting their tee shots into the 15th. The pin was positioned close to the edge of the green, while water threatened shots that finished short or left.

    Players were aiming 30 to 40 feet to the right of the pin despite having only a wedge in their hands, highlighting just how difficult the hole was playing.

    The par-three 15th is likely to play a significant role in determining the outcome of this year’s Tour Championship over the weekend.

    Source: sports.yahoo.com

  • Tour Championship: Viktor Hovland Tied for Lead Heading Into Weekend

    Tour Championship: Viktor Hovland Tied for Lead Heading Into Weekend

    Viktor Hovland and Ryan Gerard share the lead at 10 under par after the second round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta, setting up a closely contested weekend in the PGA Tour’s season-ending event.

    Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion, birdied the final hole to complete a four-under-par 66. Gerard had earlier set the clubhouse target with a five-under 65.

    Hovland’s putting once again played a key role, while Gerard responded with one of the round’s most memorable moments by holing a spectacular 78-foot birdie putt that travelled the length of the seventh green.

    Morikawa and Gotterup remain in contention

    Collin Morikawa and Chris Gotterup are joint third at nine under. World number one Scottie Scheffler recovered from two early bogeys with a 67 and is two shots off the lead.

    Cameron Young, winner of the Players Championship in March, is also on eight under after a scintillating 62 featuring seven birdies and an eagle on the par-five 18th.

    England’s Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick are three strokes behind the leaders at seven under and remain firmly in contention for Sunday’s $10m (£7.4m) prize.

    Rose produced a bogey-free 65, but Rory McIlroy endured another mixed day. The Northern Irishman opened with a birdie but was two over par after four holes.

    McIlroy’s frustration was clear on the third hole. After missing the green with his approach, he twice failed to chip onto the putting surface from the same spot and eventually made a double bogey.

    He recovered with two birdies over the final three holes, but the Masters champion will need to make significant progress on Saturday from his current position, tied for 23rd at three under.

    MacIntyre struggles after the turn

    Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre also had a difficult second round, particularly on the back nine.

    The 30-year-old made three consecutive bogeys before adding a double bogey on the par-three 15th after finding water off the tee. He signed for a six-over 76 and, alongside Min Woo Lee and Xander Schauffele, was one of only three players to finish the second round over par.

    MacIntyre’s route to a bogey on the 18th was unusual, but not as unusual as Jacob Bridgeman’s. Bridgeman’s wayward tee shot landed inside a stall selling pizza.

    Tour Championship leaderboard after round two

    • -10: Ryan Gerard (US), Viktor Hovland (Nor)
    • -9: Collin Morikawa (US), Chris Gotterup (US)
    • -8: Scottie Scheffler (US), Cameron Young (US)
    • -7: Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng), Justin Rose (Eng), Adam Scott (Aus), Ludvig Aberg (Swe)
    • -6: Ryan Fox (NZ)
    • -4: Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Alex Fitzpatrick (Eng), Wyndham Clark (US)
    • -3: Rory McIlroy (NI)
    • +3: Robert MacIntyre (Sco)

    Source: www.bbc.com