Cameron Percy In Contention Again

Cameron Percy – file

Victorian golfer Cameron Percy has continued his recent resurgence by working his way into contention at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson in Mississippi.

With the event halted for darkness on Friday evening, Percy finds himself in a share of 6th place and three from the lead of Korea’s Byeong Hun An through 11 holes of his second round as he looks to consolidate in his return to the PGA Tour which he accomplished via the recent Korn Ferry Tour finals.

Nearly half the field will be required to complete their rounds on Saturday morning US time but whatever the outcome of their efforts Percy is well enough placed as the events heads into the final 36 holes.

Percy started well at the opening event of the new PGA Tour season in last week’s Military Tribute at Greenbrier before finishing well back but he has started well again with a round of 65 yesterday and through 11 holes is 2 under for the day and 9 under for the tournament.

Percy was injured earlier in the year when fracturing his wrist while on holiday with the family and at that stage his career appeared potentially over. After two months away from the game he returned to the Korn Ferry Tour and in the Final Series of that tour he finished 11th on two occasions and regained his PGA Tour status.

After his opening round of 65 yesterday Percy expressed his delight in being back on the PGA Tour.

“Just really excited,” said Percy when asked his thoughts on being back at the elite level. “Almost felt my career was over halfway through the year. I’m like, Wow, this is going to be it. You just realize how privileged you are to be out here playing this TOUR.

“Then this week we turn up and they’ve got green eggs for us, coolers, shoes, pants. Then just the food and the way they treat us is just amazing. Sometimes you take it for granted, when then when you’re away from it and you think it’s gone, and you appreciate how good it is out here.

“It’s just pretty cool with what we get to do and you just don’t realize how lucky you are.”

Percy is still suffering ongoing pain with the wrist injury but it appears it is manageable.

Of the other Australians in the field Cameron Davis still has holes to play but is currently in 32nd place through 10 holes, while Cameron Smith rebounded from horror opening round of 76 with a round of 66 today but is still one outside the current cutline.

Rhein Gibson, Robert Allenby, John Senden and Matt Jones (who withdrew from the event) all appear as if they will have a holiday this weekend.

The leader, An, could go a long way to cementing a Presidents Cup berth if he was to go on with things this week. He currently is in the mix with the likes of Jason Day, Ryo Ishikawa, Joaquim Niemann., Justin Harding, Sungjae Im and others for one of the four Captain’s picks for the International Side.

An may well have been divided on whether he would play this week’s event, the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour which he has won previously. Thus far it appears he has pulled the right rein.

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