Sam Burns was dressed in layers to battle the cold temperatures at the start. He closed his round with a 75-foot eagle shot and an 18 foot par to share the lead after 36 holes of the rain-delayed Players Championship.
Hoge is currently at the top of the TPC Sawgrass leaderboard for the past four days. Only two days did he play golf. Pebble Beach’s winner opened with a score of 66 on Thursday. He didn’t begin his second round due to rain delays until Sunday morning.
It was just 35°F (1.6°C) in the morning, with light winds. Hoge finished with two tough pars to finish at 71. Burns’ eagle on 16th par-5 and his par-three on the last hole earned him a 69. They finished at 7-under 137.
Erik van Rooyen from South Africa, who played college golf at Minnesota, put in a wedge for eagle on Minnesota’s par-5 ninth hole. This was to finish his 67. He is one shot behind Harold Varner III who had a 69.
This week, it’s all about the weather. Four inches of rain on the Stadium Course caused five hours of delays Thursday through Friday, and four hours of play on Friday. Saturday saw a late start at noon to get the course ready.
The winner of TPC Sawgrass is usually decided on Sunday. It was about who could play into Monday night.
Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler are among the lucky. They were at 2-over146 on Saturday and looked certain to miss the cut when the last two groups finished up the round.
Scott Piercy was safe at 2-under par and hit two shots into water on the island green 17th. He then made a quadruple bogey 7, which brought him to 2 under. Piercy missed the cut after he bogeyed 18th.
Others weren’t so lucky. The strongest field for the year will not include Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay, who are the top 10 players worldwide.
At the halfway point, it was clear who had the best tee times.
The top 15 players who made it to the third round had the early-late side of the course. This meant they played in calm, rain-soaked conditions on Thursday. They also avoided the fierce wind on Saturday.
Burns was on Saturday watching TV for most of the day.
He said, “I felt sorry for the guys who had to play.” You don’t wish this on your opponents. It’s unfortunate. You will have both good and bad waves throughout your career. … You can’t control everything out there. Weather isn’t one of those things.
After a slow start to his back nine including what Burns called one of his worst shots, a 7 iron that ran 126 yards into bunkers on the 10th hole, Burns was able to do his part.
His eagle putt on 16th was a bonus. It came after a shot that avoided water for 5 yards. He had a putt from the front green to a backpin.
Kevin Kisner was on the wrong side and wished that Sunday’s cold weather would not affect the draw. This wish was fulfilled. Hoge was able to layer up with three sweaters, but that wasn’t enough.
He played well, however, and was bogey-free for 17 of the last holes.
Despite the fact that it was Sunday afternoon the tournament felt more like a Friday afternoon. Still a lot to be done, as 32 players were still within five shots of the lead. Jon Rahm played Sunday morning, shooting 72. Dustin Johnson shot 73 Saturday, which felt much better.
The average score was 74.46. This is about one stroke less than Saturday’s. It is a reflection of how much better the weather was, even in the cold.
Rahm missed a shot on Saturday, when the round was stopped due to darkness. He returned for the next 71 shots with no wind and it was a good break.
He said, “I was able play a fairly mediocre round and post a decent scoring and I’m still looking for this tournament.” “So, I consider myself fortunate.”
