Long shoots 64 to take 2-shot lead
Dominican Republic course easier than test at Winged Foot
Adam Long went from trying to hit a fairway to a course so open it’s hard to miss. He went from grinding over pars to pouring in birdies.
One week after he toiled to a tie for 13th at Winged Foot in the U.S. Open, Long is loving life in the Caribbean.
Long ran off five birdies in a six-hole stretch to grab the lead and finished with key par saves for an 8-under 64 that give him a two-shot lead over Hudson Swafford in the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship.
“Big contrast from the U.S. Open to here, obviously,” Long said. “That was just such a mental grind. It was just trying to hit a fairway. You’re probably going to miss it and then you try to get it up on the green
and try to make pars. Here, it’s a lot different landscape. It seems really wide open coming from Winged Foot, but it’s a lot of drivers and trying to hit it as far as you can. This is more about making birdies.”
Swafford didn’t make any birdies over his last 10 holes in his round of 69, though he wasn’t about to take on any risks and drop unnecessary shots. He’s still in the final group with a good shot at his second PGA Tour title.
“Right in it. I didn’t do anything to hurt myself today,” Swafford said. “Obviously, Adam Long went out and played a great round in tricky wind. ... Got to get the bad one out of the way and put a little pressure on Adam.”
Long, who one-putted nine of his last 10 holes, matched the low round Saturday and will go after his second PGA Tour title. His other was in January 2019 when he birdied the last hole of the Desert Classic to beat Phil Mickelson and Adam Hadwin.
He has a little more separation going into the final round in the Dominican Republic. Long was at 17-under 199, with only five other players within five shots of the lead.
Swafford was at 15 under and will be in the final group. Mackenzie Hughes of Canada twice chipped in for birdie late in his round of 67, leaving him three shots behind. Xinjun Zhang of China had a 68 and was at 13 under, while Nate Lashley (65) and Sean O’hair (70) were five shots behind. european PGA: English golfer Aaron Rai shot 3-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead after the third round of the Irish Open as he looks for his second win on the tour. Maverick Antcliff of Australia is the closest challenger to Rai after completing a second-round 65 in the morning — leaving him tied for the lead at the time — and then shooting 68 in the afternoon in Ballymena. Dean Burmster (68), Jazz Janewattananond (66) and Oscar Lengden (66) are a further shot behind heading into Sunday’s final round.