What a spin from Tom Hoge! Answer by dropping two shots into three holes making three birds in a row! The latter reaches 15, where he sends his second shot from 170 yards to seven feet, and rolls it up. It has changed a bit at the top … apart from the obvious, of course.
-6: Thomas (F) -5: Zalatoris (8), Hoge (6 *) – 4: Pereira (9 *) – 3: Fitzpatrick (F), Smith (8), McIlroy (7), Ancer (7 * ) -2: Cink (8 *), Riley (5)
Cam Smith measures a 30-foot putt of birds at one-eighth of three. His ball covers 29 feet. “Make it reach the f-ing hole,” he says, where f equals the word f, which is “fuck.” The British broadcaster Sky Sports immediately apologizes to its adult audience, despite the fact that all young children in bed arrive at 22:00 BST, quite a long time after the river basin. However, it fixes parity and remains at -3. Will Zalatoris also leaves, and stays at -5.
Cam Smith dropping the F-bomb. Photo: Eric Gay / AP
Updated at 21.51 BST
2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed has recently been silenced. However, he looks set to find a form of appearance this week. A 69 yesterday, and today he has recovered from a hole opening bogey with a magnificent 6-foot starting shot a couple of feet away. Straighten the bird, and it has red numbers at -1 again. Meanwhile, on the 7th, Woods and Spieth regain their pair, but McIlroy leaves his first long putt very short and then manages to save the pair. Just as yesterday he could do little wrong, today he can do almost nothing right. He slips to -3, and the leader of the night is suddenly three paces from the pace set by Justin Thomas!
A fine up and down a bunker at 7 by Will Zalatoris. He stays at -5, while teammate Cam Smith does the same to stay at -3. Once they clear the green, the Tiger almost approaches the drink on the right, Spieth finds the bunker that protects the front of the dance floor, and McIlroy pulls out one that is lucky enough to stay on the side. back left of the green, though instead of the flag. No one is making any kind of consistent move with Justin Thomas … though it’s worth remembering that almost every night’s leader has started this afternoon at hole 1, and the new striker is considered more of a test than the back. So there’s still plenty of time for drama tonight.
Rory leaves the driver in the bag and divides the seventh fairway with his 3-wood. For once it’s not playing catch up from the start. Let’s see how this turns out, then. Meanwhile, at 15, he is equal to Ancer, who is still tied at third at -4.
Three decent, if not spectacular, plates on the green on the 6th par-tres of Tiger, McIlroy and Spieth. All three are left with mid-distance bird putts. Tiger and Spieth shave their lips, and Rory isn’t too far away either, but nothing falls and he’s even. Meanwhile, Hoge, encouraged by that bird at 13, pulls out a beautiful plate at 14, and will surely straighten a couple of feet to get back to -4.
Tiger Woods hits his starting shot from the third. Photo: Tannen Maury / EPA
Updated at 21.29 BST
Cameron Smith and Will Zalatoris go very close with the bird putts in the sixth par-tres. Not a fall. Shame. Meanwhile, birdie at 15 for rejuvenated 2009 Open champion Stewart Cink, and birdie bounce for Tom Hoge at 13.
-6: Thomas (F) -5: Zalatoris (6) -4: Pereira (8 *), McIlroy (5), Ancer (5 *) – 3: Fitzpatrick (D), Kirk (8 *), Smith (6 ), Hoge (4 *) – 2: Schauffele (8), Kuchar (6 *), Cink (6 *), Riley (3)
The Ancer can’t get particularly close with his chip from the back of 14, and drops back to -4. McIlroy can’t make his long bird putt at 5 and has to settle for the pair, as does Spieth, but Tiger, who chose to play crash-bang golf in the long five-pair, makes a meaningless text bird. Right in the middle, no heroism. It has +3. And a good pair for Schauffele on the 7th; it sends an 8-lane iron road to the left of the green, but climbs from 30 yards to reach its seventh consecutive pair. It has -2.
McIlroy punches from the trees to the left of 5. That unit ran a 385-yard assisted path. He’s able to throw his ball into a bunker in front of the green, but he doesn’t come close especially with his splash out. Two putts on par, though he could do it with a momentum changer. Everything is a bit reactive at the moment. Meanwhile, a second three-hole bogey for Tom Hoge, which drops to -2.
Mito Pereira shoots at 25 feet at 16 per birdie, and the 27-year-old Chilean debutant returns to -4. Back at 5, Will Zalatoris doesn’t give up on his 25-foot right-to-left bird curler and tilts his head back in disappointment, a dispenser of Pez’s despair as he plays parity. Birdie would have given him some leadership. Not yet. Meanwhile, on the 14th of the par-tres, Abraham Ancer flies to the green with his starting pitch and will have the job of getting up and down the water to get his par. At the clubhouse, Justin Thomas has his feet up. A cigar put on. Wrap a ball of brandy around a glass. No one has reached it yet.
McIlroy continues to throw the ball off the tee. This time he sends one to the left at par-cinc 5 … and doesn’t go back to the fairway. Out flies in a straight line. It’s out of bounds there, though it doesn’t seem to be that offline. But the ball goes out on a cart track, which could be a lucky stop or some very bad news. Stay tuned for more cartoon fun!
Abraham Ancer looks good in humor! He sends a wedge at 13 yelling and stops six inches from the cup. He will play this to move to -5 and a draw for the second.
-6: Thomas (F) -5: Zalatoris (4), Ancer (4 *) -4: McIlroy (4)
Abraham Ancer takes to the streets on the 13th. Photo: Eric Gay / AP
Updated at 21.01 BST
Robert MacIntyre is close to running out a 40-foot 8th par. So bad luck. That would have brought the 24-year-old Scotsman to red numbers; it stays at the same level as it is. In the meantime, some Austrian manager has to tie in – you might remember that Bernd Wiesberger made three birds in five holes before to go to -1 overall. Later, his round threatened to get out of control, after the bogeys at 16 and 18, but he recovered wonderfully in the first nine, with birdies at 5 and 6. He arrived home unharmed with a fine of 67. It has -1 on the weekend.
Jordan Spieth makes up for that bogey in the opening hole with a magnificent bird at 4. He sends his approach over the flag at 12 feet, then guides the swinger from right to left. It has returned to +2, and will not be considered out of it, not even for a long chalk. Another level of four for Tiger, which remains at +4. Then finally, for McIlroy, who made a 366-yard hole meal after hitting a 320 unit in the middle.
The phones are out while Jordan Spieth plays his shot into the first hole. Photo: Tannen Maury / EPA
Updated at 21.11 BST
Last week, Xander Schauffele only survived the Byron Nelson cut. He then shot 65 on Saturday and 61 on Sunday to get out of the group and nearly snatch the title, losing by just one shot to KH Lee. The short version: is in shape. A 68 yesterday, and now it has started with five pairs in a row. It is quietly around -2, just four ahead, and with more than enough time to make a mark.
Abraham Ancer was ranked among the top ten on Kiawah Island last year, the best performance by the 31-year-old Mexican at the major. This time he wants to get even better, and he’s still 67 yesterday with a bird at 12. Meanwhile, a bird for Viktor Hovland at 4. At the moment it’s only his second of the week … but he’s only done one bogey . The young Norwegian has been super stable so far and gets his reward by going from red to -1.
-6: Thomas (F) -5: Zalatoris (3) -4: McIlroy (3), Ancer (3 *) – 3: Fitzpatrick (F), Pereira (5 *), Smith (3), Hoge (2 * )
Tom Hoge is one of the latest headlines this afternoon. The wait must have sidelined the North Carolina, because it sends his first record to trouble on the right of the 10, and the error eventually causes him a shot. Return to -3. Back at 3, McIlroy can only pull off his second just before the green. He hit a lovely chip up to three feet and saves his pair. But these are two fights and a bogey for the leader of the night, who will expect to warm up very soon. It stays at -4. In the meantime, it’s a 4-4-4 start for Tiger, who is +4 and will return home, but there is still a long way to go.
McIlroy washed most of his units yesterday. He has now lost three of his three fairways today. Send this one to 3 to the right and you are lucky not to end up in the trees. A slow start for Matt Kuchar, too; makes 12 to slip to -2.
McIlroy makes his first mistake of the second round. He sends his starting shot back onto the tarmac, then almost whistles his approach to a bunker at the back of the green. He is left with an awkward posture, swaying on his lip, and hits a hot chip beyond the hole and into the fringe, very lucky not to send his ball rolling down a river. He’s about to save his parity, but despite a good read, he doesn’t give the putt enough juice and drops to -4.
-6: Thomas (F) -5: Zalatoris (2) -4: McIlroy (2), Hoge-3: Fitzpatrick (F), Pereira (3 *), Smith (2), Ancer (1 *)
An optimistic end to the day for Joaquin Niemann. Things started to go wrong for the Chilean after the turn: bogeys at 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8. But he stopped the bleeding with a semi-restorative birdie at 9, and even though he has to settle for a 71 that so promised. much more, he is still -1 overall and well prepared for Moving Day.
Joaquin Niemann finishes with a respectable par 71. Photo: Orlando Ramírez / USA Today Sports
Updated at 20.18 BST
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