De Chambeau- photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
To a large extent, the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando developed into a classic battle between the old and the new.
27-year-old, Bryson DeChambeau, would eventually defeat a man twenty years his senior (Lee Westwood) by one shot is an intriguing shootout over the closing stages of the event inspired and perhaps still looked over by arguably the games greatest ambassador, Arnold Palmer.
It was, though, a result that was in doubt until the very last putt, DeChambeau holing from six feet for par at the 72nd hole after Westwood had survived an encounter with a divot at the last before holing an eight-foot put of his own for par to force DeChambeau to hole his.
For DeChambeau it was his 8th PGA Tour title since joining the PGA Tour in late 2016 for the 2016/2017 season, one of those his victory at the 2020 US Open and the former US Amateur Champion appears to have the golfing world at his feet.
He moves back inside the top ten in the world to # 6 from his current 11th place in the standings and with PGA Tour earnings already of nearly US$23 million it has been a meteoric rise.
DeChambeau polarises some because of the vast distances he hits the ball and the almost forensic approach to the game but to many he is an example of the benefit of hard work and taking full advantage of the modernisation of equipment, allowing his massive body to have him as perhaps the most powerful hitter in the game.
His dedication to improvement both physically and mentally can only be admired and while the current controversy around equipment in the game continues, DeChambeau can only be respected for working within the confines of legalities and yet still stand out in terms of his uniqueness.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams for Mr. Palmer ‘s event,” said the winner. “Came here as an amateur, he gave me an invitation and I loved this golf course the minute I arrived and I love the atmosphere and I love the fans, I loved what Mr. Palmer did with this place and what he’s done and his legacy he’s left here. It’s quite amazing.
“I’m glad I made that last putt. I did not want to go into a playoff. I took a little extra time on that because I knew that ball was aimed a little too far right and sure enough it was. I took a deep breath was able to execute and knock it in.
“But first and foremost I got to thank personally Chris Como (coach), Tiger Woods even, he helped me out quite a bit today this morning, talking to him from texts, but also Chris Como, we have been talking even before the round, 10 minutes before the round I called him and was talking about my golf swing.
“So there’s numerous people that have helped me get this victory. My caddie worked really hard, Tim Tucker, Brett, obviously my agent, manager, Connor, we all work hard every day. We were out here super late last night, just like I was at the U.S. Open working hard to figure out my golf swing, albeit I didn’t figure it out all the way I was able to come through clutch in the end and execute the shots when I needed to and win this golf tournament.”
Lee Westwood – photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
Westwood, too, is one for admiration. One of the game’s better players over the past 25 years but still without a major to his name, Westwood’s career is resurgent and although his last and only win on the PGA Tour came in 2010, he has continued to be a dominant force in Europe, winning the Abu Dhabi tournament in 2020 en-route to another Race to Dubai title.
Westwood began today’s final round in the lead but on a day where windy firm conditions resulted in only two players breaking par on the par 72 layout, he was round in 73 to finish just one behind the winner.
Westwood missed a golden opportunity to close the gap at the par 5 16th but from just 156 years he took four to get down and then, at the last, when needing a birdie to force a possible playoff he found a divot in the middle of the fairway and was unable to attack the dangerous flag position.
Both players would par the hole and DeChambeau ran out the winner by one.
“I thought we had a really good battle,” said Westwood. “There was never really more than one in it all day and there were tough conditions out there and it wasn’t going to be a day where — I don’t think anybody was going to shoot 68 or 67 — it was a day for playing sensible and hanging on and grinding out the pars.”
Canada’s Corey Conners finished third after getting within one shot when he eagled the 16th from 12 feet. He would though bogey his final two holes but it was one of his best finishes on the PGA Tour after his win in Texas in 2019.
Jason Day finished as the leading Australian but after working himself into contention on Saturday his final round of 79 saw the former winner of the event finish 31st.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee was 49th.
The PGA Tour now moves a little further north to Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville for this week’s Players Championship.
DeChambeau outlasts Westwood in battle of the ages
De Chambeau- photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
To a large extent, the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando developed into a classic battle between the old and the new.
27-year-old, Bryson DeChambeau, would eventually defeat a man twenty years his senior (Lee Westwood) by one shot is an intriguing shootout over the closing stages of the event inspired and perhaps still looked over by arguably the games greatest ambassador, Arnold Palmer.
It was, though, a result that was in doubt until the very last putt, DeChambeau holing from six feet for par at the 72nd hole after Westwood had survived an encounter with a divot at the last before holing an eight-foot put of his own for par to force DeChambeau to hole his.
For DeChambeau it was his 8th PGA Tour title since joining the PGA Tour in late 2016 for the 2016/2017 season, one of those his victory at the 2020 US Open and the former US Amateur Champion appears to have the golfing world at his feet.
He moves back inside the top ten in the world to # 6 from his current 11th place in the standings and with PGA Tour earnings already of nearly US$23 million it has been a meteoric rise.
DeChambeau polarises some because of the vast distances he hits the ball and the almost forensic approach to the game but to many he is an example of the benefit of hard work and taking full advantage of the modernisation of equipment, allowing his massive body to have him as perhaps the most powerful hitter in the game.
His dedication to improvement both physically and mentally can only be admired and while the current controversy around equipment in the game continues, DeChambeau can only be respected for working within the confines of legalities and yet still stand out in terms of his uniqueness.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams for Mr. Palmer ‘s event,” said the winner. “Came here as an amateur, he gave me an invitation and I loved this golf course the minute I arrived and I love the atmosphere and I love the fans, I loved what Mr. Palmer did with this place and what he’s done and his legacy he’s left here. It’s quite amazing.
“I’m glad I made that last putt. I did not want to go into a playoff. I took a little extra time on that because I knew that ball was aimed a little too far right and sure enough it was. I took a deep breath was able to execute and knock it in.
“But first and foremost I got to thank personally Chris Como (coach), Tiger Woods even, he helped me out quite a bit today this morning, talking to him from texts, but also Chris Como, we have been talking even before the round, 10 minutes before the round I called him and was talking about my golf swing.
“So there’s numerous people that have helped me get this victory. My caddie worked really hard, Tim Tucker, Brett, obviously my agent, manager, Connor, we all work hard every day. We were out here super late last night, just like I was at the U.S. Open working hard to figure out my golf swing, albeit I didn’t figure it out all the way I was able to come through clutch in the end and execute the shots when I needed to and win this golf tournament.”
Lee Westwood – photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
Westwood, too, is one for admiration. One of the game’s better players over the past 25 years but still without a major to his name, Westwood’s career is resurgent and although his last and only win on the PGA Tour came in 2010, he has continued to be a dominant force in Europe, winning the Abu Dhabi tournament in 2020 en-route to another Race to Dubai title.
Westwood began today’s final round in the lead but on a day where windy firm conditions resulted in only two players breaking par on the par 72 layout, he was round in 73 to finish just one behind the winner.
Westwood missed a golden opportunity to close the gap at the par 5 16th but from just 156 years he took four to get down and then, at the last, when needing a birdie to force a possible playoff he found a divot in the middle of the fairway and was unable to attack the dangerous flag position.
Both players would par the hole and DeChambeau ran out the winner by one.
“I thought we had a really good battle,” said Westwood. “There was never really more than one in it all day and there were tough conditions out there and it wasn’t going to be a day where — I don’t think anybody was going to shoot 68 or 67 — it was a day for playing sensible and hanging on and grinding out the pars.”
Canada’s Corey Conners finished third after getting within one shot when he eagled the 16th from 12 feet. He would though bogey his final two holes but it was one of his best finishes on the PGA Tour after his win in Texas in 2019.
Jason Day finished as the leading Australian but after working himself into contention on Saturday his final round of 79 saw the former winner of the event finish 31st.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee was 49th.
The PGA Tour now moves a little further north to Ponte Vedra Beach near Jacksonville for this week’s Players Championship.
Andrew Martin’s Milestone Day at Bonnie Doon
Andrew Martin – photo PGA of Australia
Nearly 16 years after turning professional, former Australian Amateur Champion, Andrew Martin, has won his first PGA Tour of Australasia title with a one-shot victory at The Player Series Sydney event at the Bonnie Doon Golf Club.
The 36 year old Victorian began his final round eight shots behind the leader, Charlie Dann, who at one stage today led by five but an outward nine of eight under 29 (which four eagles, one birdie and a bogey) saw him on the heels of the leader and birdies at his 11th and 18th holes saw him take a two- shot lead into the clubhouse.
The four eagles in any one round is believed to be a record in tournament golf but for those four to come in his opening nine holes made it even more spectacular.
Dann was some 45 minutes behind Martin on the golf course and when he made the turn in 3 under he was at 19 under for the event and well clear of the nearest chaser.
Then came three consecutive bogeys to behind his back nine and with Martin putting together his final round of 61 he took the lead.
Dann was unable to close the gap and, looking to force a playoff at the last, eventually three putted to finish alone in second place but two behind Martin.
Martin has finished runner-up in events previously, namely the 2012 NZ PGA Championship behind Michael Hendry and the Coca Cola Queensland PGA Championship in Toowoomba the same year but given his significant amateur success it has been a long road as a professional thus far.
“It’s still a bit of a whirlwind,” Martin explained. “To shoot 10-under, that’s still hard to get through my head, but mainly just the support of my family and my wife Rachel has given me to be able to keep doing this because it is tough in Australia to make a living here.
“I’ve never really fallen out of love with the game. I’ve always wanted to do it and if I was ever going to stop playing it would be a hard pill to swallow because I still feel there is a lot I want to achieve.
“This is one little box ticked but there a couple more I want to do. It’s just good to show that my game is still there.”
Despite the relative lack of world ranking strength in the field, Martin will improve more than 300 places in the world ranking to just inside the top 500 as a result of his win and achieve his highest ever ranking.
For Dann, who was also looking for the first win on his two year professional career, to have let such a significant lead slip but he can rest easy in the knowledge that his defeat was more to do with the brilliance of Martin’s day rather than his own demise.
Dann’s second place finish was by some margin his best finish in tournament golf and that he was able to lead for as long as he did will stand the former Master of the Amateurs Champion in good stead for future endeavours.
Charlie Dann – near miss for the Queenslander – photo PGA of Australia
The main talking point of the week was the professional debut of the outstanding 18 year old Elvis Smylie who gave a further indication of just what a future he has when he finished tied for 3rd, one shot behind Dann.
But for a hiccup in the middle of his Saturday round where he dropped four shots in two holes in the middle of his back nine it might have been a much different story to report on but it was nonetheless an outstanding debut, providing confidence and a little bit of cash ($7,350)
Smylie tied for 3rd with fellow Queenslanders, the amateur Louis Dobbelaar, Shae Wools-Cobb, Brett Rankin and New South Welshman, Jordan Junic.
Scores
Jason Day well off lead at Arnold Palmer Invitational
The leader, Corey Conners, – photo Getty Sam Greenwood
Jason Day is the leading Australian through 36 holes of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando but if he is to repeat his 2016 victory in the event, he will need something very special over the weekend.
Day finds himself seven shots from the lead of Canadian Corey Conners but his task was not made any easier today when his tee shot at the par 5 16th stuck in a tree, forcing drastic measures just to identify the ball.
“I don’t know where he got the rules official got the binoculars it from, but it was actually he came in and zoomed in on it, said Day when describing the unusual occurrence. “So I’ve got the ball, well I don’t have the ball, but like I could see the Tour B XS on the logo on the side and I’m like, That’s it, that’s perfect.
“So a little unfortunate that it got stuck up, it was literally in a nest, so I think the mama birdie’s going to come back and find another egg there, so it’s unfortunate, but it is what it is.”
Day began at the 10th in round two and two double bogeys before the turn had him on the back foot before turning for home.
Three birdies on the way in had him moving in the right direction but a bogey at his final hole after finding the greenside bunker was a disappointment after his recovery.
New Zealander Danny Lee was the only other Australasian to make the weekend and is in 38th place while Matt Jones, Cameron Davis, Cameron Percy and Marc Leishman have the weekend to do other things.
The leader, Conners, has missed the cut at his only two starts in the event to date but his rounds of 66 and 69 have him one ahead of Scot, Martin Laird, who won this event ten years ago.
Conners, the winner of the 2019 Texas Open, has been in consistent form in recent months although he did miss the cut at his last start at the Riviera Country Club.
“I haven’t really been in this position a lot, but I have a lot of confidence in my game and feeling really relaxed the last few days, so try and keep that going,” said Conners. “I feel like I have a lot of energy, I had an off week last week and really excited for the weekend.
Scores
Dann and Wilson Share Bonnie Doon Lead
Charlie Dann – Photo courtesy of PGA of Australia Brett Costello
Sunshine Coast golfer, Charlie Dann, has a share of the the lead at the halfway mark of the Tour Players Series Sydney event at the Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Pagewood in Sydney’s south eastern suburbs.
Dann shares the lead with Victorian Peter Wilson,who, after a horror start to his afternoon round, fought back to play four holes in 4 under through the middle of his round and then added two late birdies to join Dann in the lead
The 28 year old Dann added a second round of 64 to his opening 67 and leads along with Wilson by one over Wollongong’s Travis Smyth, South Australian rookie Jack Thompson, Victorians Josh Younger and Blake Collyer and Queenslander, Shae Wools-Cobb
Dann was out early on day two and played his opening nine in 5 under 32 before adding two further birdies on the way in. The highlight came at the par 5 9th which he eagled.
Dann, a professional for just over two years, was an accomplished amateur, winning events such as the Keperra Bowl, the Master of the Amateurs and the Mandurah Open but his time in the professional ranks has not been easy although like so many other domestic players he has been starved for opportunities over the last twelve months.
Dann has, though, played well in events in Australia this year and in 2019 played events on the China Tour where he recorded several reasonable finishes and appears to be finding his feet at this level.
The manner in which he handles the unique opportunity he has created for himself over the weekend will be watched with interest.
Wilson is 15 years older than his co-leader and has a Tier 2 PGA Tour of Australasia victory to his credit when successful at the WAPGA Championship in Kalgoorlie in 2012.
“Obviously I got off to a rough start but I knew that seven, eight and nine were the easier down-wind holes,” said Wilson. “I just had to stay patient and wait for those holes to happen and I played them in 4-under again like I did yesterday.”
Much of the lead-up to the event was dominated by the arrival on the professional scene of 18 year old, Elvis Smylie, and he did not let anyone down.
After an opening round of 3 under 68 yesterday, Smylie struggled early in his round today but like Dann he too would eagle the 9th to turn in even par before an impressive homeward nine of 30 to be tied in 11th place and four from the lead.
The $150,000 event continues over the next two days.
Elvis Smylie – impressive professional debut – photo PGA Australia
Elvis Smylie Joins Gabi Ruffels In The Paid Ranks
Smylie following his Queensland Amateur Championship victory in 2019 – photo Bruce Young
Last week it was Gabriela Ruffels who entered the paid ranks of golf when she played the Gainbridge LPGA event in Florida and this week sees the opening event in what promises to be a significant professional career for yet another young Australian when Elvis Smylie tees it up in one of the PGA Tour of Australasia’s ‘Players Series’ events at the Bonnie Doon Golf Club in Sydney.
18-year-old Smylie, who has already accumulated several impressive finishes in professional events, turned professional last week but eighteen months ago made the cut as a 17-year-old amateur at the Australian Open, actually contending at various stages over the weekend before finishing 33rd at the Australian Golf Club.
Perhaps the catalyst for the timing of the decision, however, came after his stunning performance at one of the early Player Series events where he pushed experienced and credentialed professional Brad Kennedy to the limit before finishing runner-up to his fellow Queenslander.
Smylie reeled off consecutive weekend rounds of 63 at the Rosebud Country Club on the Mornington Peninsula to force Kennedy into recording a final round of 62 to hold him out.
The winner of events such as the Australian Junior Championship, the Keperra Bowl and the Queensland Amateur Championship during his amateur days, Smylie has a great pedigree to hold him in good stead in these all-important early stages of his professional career.
His mother Liz was a four-time Grand Slam Tennis Champion in Doubles events and later an accomplished tennis commentator and his father Peter was also a tournament tennis player who became involved in player management.
That sort of knowledge and support is a tremendous resource to access, but Elvis Smylie has shown a capacity to be very self sufficient in his approach to the game, possessing an outstanding work ethic in addition to his significant playing skills and mindset.
At a time when the Korda sisters (Nelly and Jessica) and the brother and sister pair of Gabi and Ryan Ruffels have been the product of significant tennis parentage and are now playing professional golf, yet another is about to take his game to the world.
The tall left-hander with the catchy and appealing name, looks sure to endear himself to the Australian golfing public in the years ahead and although 18 is young to enter the topsy-turvy world of professional golf, there has already been plenty of evidence to suggest when it comes to Elvis Smylie it is a case of ‘if you are good enough you are old enough’.
Gabi Ruffels – photo USGA
Rapid Riser Morikawa Wins WGC Workday Championship
Collin Morikawa – photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
Current PGA Champion, Collin Morikawa, continued his meteoric rise in the game with victory at this week’s WGC Workday Championship at Concessions in Bradenton in Florida.
Twelve months ago Morikawa stood outside the top 50 in the game but as a result of his PGA Championship win, and this week’s victory, he finds himself in 4th place in the world ranking and, it would seem, with a bullet.
Morikawa won by three over Brooks Koepka, Viktor Hovland and Billy Horschel.
After his round Morikawa acknowledged the pressure he felt under during the final round.
“It’s so huge. No matter what anyone says, sleeping on a lead has its pressure, has its nerves. But I was excited to get back in contention, to have a chance to win. It’s something that I miss.
“Obviously I haven’t had it for a while, but this is what we love to do, we love to win. It’s a tough thing out here, but this tournament means so much. With how good the field was, how good my game felt, to close it out like this, with such a stacked leaderboard coming after me, really means a lot.”
Morikawa agreed when it was suggested that may have been a sense of complacency after his PGA Championship win at Harding Park last year.
“Yeah, there definitely was. It wasn’t like, oh, man, I should be winning every single week, but it just almost in that kind of fall portion, it was like, oh, I should be playing good golf, or on my bad days I should still be contending.
“It’s not the case. These guys are way too good. And I know that. When I sat down after my last event on the Tour, which was the Masters, or even right before the Masters, I sat down with Rick, my coach, and I said, you know — I told him the honest truth, that this is just — you know, I got complacent.
“I was getting lazy. I was getting a sense of where I didn’t want to just be the best every single week. And that doesn’t mean I wasn’t practicing right or it doesn’t mean all this, it was just a mental state of, you know, coming out, being ready to play great golf Thursday through Sunday.
“So I kind of reset that before the Masters, I was able to work on that throughout December, a couple times on that European Tour. By the time this year started, my game felt really, really good, I just need to put four good rounds together.”
Cameron Smith finished as the leading Australian when he tied for 11th but he will rue two double bogeys during round three after visiting water at the 5th and 13th holes. He had made a fast start on Saturday and was contending for the lead before disaster struck and his eventual 77 cost him any chance before the final round.
Smith would, though, record a round of 67 today to head back in the right direction and improve nine positions.
Jason Day was the next best of the Australasians when he finished 18th despite a last hole bogey, Minwoo Lee was unable to repeat the brilliance of his third round 66 but finished 28th in just his second PGA Tour event, Marc Leishman was 39th, Jason Scrivener 41st, Wade Ormsby 52nd, Adam Scott 54th, Brad Kennedy 61st and Lucas Herbert 70th.
The PGA Tour now moves to Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Cameron Percy Records One of Best PGA Tour Finishes
Australian Cameron Percy has finished in a share of 7th place at the PGA Tour’s Puerto Rico Open, recording one of his best finishes on the PGA Tour in the process.
Percy began the final round in a share of 3rd place in the alternate event on the PGA Tour, but his four birdies were countered by three bogeys and he was unable to build any momentum in chasing the leaders.
The performance followed a solid week at Pebble Beach two weeks ago and the 46-year-old played some impressive golf in the demanding windy conditions at the Grand Reserve layout in Rio Grande.
Percy moved into contention in the early stages of his third round with six birdies in his opening ten holes but a double bogey at the 13th ended an encouraging run at that point. He would though add two further birdies and moved into contention again heading into today’s final round.
Percy first joined the tour in 2010 and, in what could be described as a ‘sliding doors’ moment, lost a playoff in Las Vegas that year when Jonathan Byrd holed-in-one to defeat him.
Percy has bounced between the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours since, but this is an encouraging week for him and confirms the work he has been doing with fellow Victorian and now respected coach, Brad Hughes, is falling into place.
The tournament was won by South African Branden Grace who eagled the 17th and birdied the last to defeat Jhonattan Vegas by one.
Greg Chalmers who was just one off the lead through 36 holes, recovered from a third round 76 with a final round of 68 and finished 22nd, New Zealander Tim Wilkinson was 27th, Aaron Baddeley 30th, and John Senden, the only other Australasian to make the cut, 75th.
Great Week For Sarah Kemp in Orlando
Sarah Kemp – file photo Bruce Young
35 year old New South Wales golfer, Sarah Kemp, has produced her second best-ever result on the LPGA Tour when finishing runner-up at the Gainbridge LPGA Tour event at the Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando.
Kemp, whose best had been when runner-up at the 2019 Women’s Australian Open over two years ago, birdied two of her final three holes in today’s final round to finish tied for 5th in her first event of the 2021 LPGA Tour season.
Beginning the final round in 11th place, Kemp took some time for the round to build momentum but over the final ten holes she produced five birdies and two bogeys for her round of 69 after playing some outstanding golf for much of the week.
Kemp spent time in Australia during the off-season including time in quarantine but this is an encouraging start to the season as she looks to consolidate her standing on the LPGA Tour.
Kemp finished five shots behind the winner and the current 4th ranked player in the world, Nelly Korda, who is likely to move into the 3rd position with this win. She also earns a cheque for US$75,000.
In the opening event of the season in January, Korda finished 3rd behind her sister Jessica, both sisters former Women’s Australian Open champions.
For Korda it was her 4th LPGA Tour title but her first on home soil, having won in Australia and Taiwan (twice) previously.
Tied for 2nd place were American Lexi Thompson and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko who finished three behind Korda.
Ko continues her return to the game that saw her as one of the dominant figures on the LPGA Tour four years ago, this her 5th top ten in her last six starts after switching to coach Sean Foley in early 2020.
Victorian, Gabi Ruffels, in her very first event as a professional, made the cut and finished 36th to get her career underway.
Lydia Ko Has 36 Hole Lead in Orlando
Lydia Ko – file photo
Lydia Ko has consolidated her opening round lead at the Gainbridge LPGA event at Lake Nona in Orlando, adding a second round 69 to lead by one over Nelly Korda.
A 15-time LPGA Tour event winner, Ko, playing on her now home golf course, has not won since 2018 but she has shown signs of late that the game which saw her dominate women’s golf during 2015 and 2016 is on its way back.
After an early bogey today, Ko birdied four of six holes on her way to the turn although she did bogey her 9th and 12th holes before a late recovery kept her clear of the impressive Korda.
When asked if she had set a goal before today’s round Ko was quick to respond. “I personally don’t shoot like setting goals because sometimes it could be really windy and even par could be a great, great score. Obviously a round like yesterday would be nice, but sometimes just putting numbers is just a number and all I can do is just try my best and be committed.
“I think in general my goal is to just make sure I hit every shot with commitment and be aggressive with that, and I think I’ve been able to do that pretty well. So hoping to continue that over the weekend.
“It’s definitely nice to be in contention at the top of leaderboard,” said Ko referring to the fact she has not won in three years. “No matter what happens over the weekend, I think it’s good to just keep putting myself in these positions. I think you get more comfortable with it and the more times you’re there I think the higher chance that at the end it will all happen for you.
“So I’m trying to not think about what may happen on Sunday. I’m just trying to take one shot at a time, and if I’m able to do it pretty well and be in contention going into Sunday the last few holes, that’s great.
“I think result needs to be more secondary for me. I just need to be more comfortable and have belief in my own game.”
New South Wales’ Sarah Kemp is doing very well having added a second round of 69 to be tied for 8th. Kemp has not recorded a top ten on the LPGA Tour since finishing 10th at the Australian Women’s Open two years ago so this is an encouraging start for her.
Kemp made mention of the benefit of extra work on her wedge game over the off period.
“My wedges have been really good,” said the 35 year old. “I purchased a TrackMan at the end of last year and I’ve done a lot of work with wedges on it especially, so like calibrating even where I grip it on the grip, the letters that I grip it on and stuff like that and my swing lengths, and it’s really paid off with my wedges, so that’s good.
Australia’s Gabi Ruffels, in her first event as a professional made the cut but she needed a strong finish to do so. She birdied her 13th, 14th and 15th holes to ease her way into the weekend field and further confirmed her considerable promise.
Katherine Kirk and Sarah Jane Smith both missed the cut.
Another player to make the cut was Annika Sorenstam who finished right on the cut mark after a second round of 71. It was Sorenstam’s first LPGA Tour event in 13 years but even after that significant break she displayed that she still has what it takes.
Scores
Cameron Smith At It Again in Florida
Cameron Smith in action today – photo Getty Images Sam Greenwood
Australian Cameron Smith has once again put himself in the firing line of a significant PGA Tour event, this time the WGC Workday Championship at The Concession in south west Florida.
Smith has completed the opening two rounds of the US$10.5 million event just one shot off the pace set by Brooks Koepka and shares second place with Collin Morikawa and Billy Horschel.
Off the back of an impressive 4th place at the Genesis Invitational last Sunday, Smith produced a seven-birdie round of 66 to again show his capacity to play big events well.
With now just six weeks to the Masters, where Smith finished runner-up last November, the 24-year old’s form appears to be falling into place at exactly the right time.
“I just feel like I’m playing really solid at the moment,” said Smith. This is probably the best my ball-striking’s felt to myself in a very long time. So yeah, really comfortable with the short and long stuff.
“I think it (the Nicklaus / Jacklin layout) is tough but fair. You can make birdies if you hit your tee shots in the right spots. I think the greens, if they firmed up a little bit, this place could be pretty interesting. I think they’ve done a really good job in prep for it. Hopefully the greens firm up a little bit on the weekend, we can see some more creative shots into the green.”
Compared to last week in California the temperature this week is considerably hotter but Smith is enjoying the warmer conditions.
“Yeah, I love being in the heat. Those early morning tee times in L.A. last week were pretty brutal. I grew up in Brisbane, it’s a very similar climate to this, so I love being out there and getting hot.”
Koepka continues to recover from injury issues and is returning to the sort of form that saw him as the world number one previously. His recent win in Phoenix had him back on track and despite a final hole bogey today, his round of 66 was good enough to edge him clear of the field.
“I’ve only been home like 25 days since Boston of the Playoffs last year, so I’ve spent the entire time in San Diego with my trainer Derek, just grinding, trying to make sure my knee’s right,” said Koepka.
“Once my body was right, it was only a matter of time before my swing kind of came into a groove I guess you could say. Then once — I mean, in December it finally was like it started to click, so I put in the work, it’s just now I’m starting to see it.
“Usually, I can never find my game until THE PLAYERS, that’s kind of when it starts to feel like it’s coming around, but the fact that it’s here a little bit early is nice.”
Jason Day is the next best of the Australians after Smith, a second round of 69 improving him to 4 under and in a share of 17th.
Wade Ormsby was unable to repeat his first round effort and was round in 74 to be in 26th place, a position he shares with Marc Leishman, Jason Scrivener went the other way with a round of 68 to be 37th, Adam Scott is 43rd, Min Woo Lee 49th and Brad Kennedy and Lucas Herbert 69th in the 72 player field.
There is no cut in this event so all players get to play all 72 holes.
Scores