Storm suspends second round of wild TPC
Chad Ramey became the only player to reach double digits under par at The Players Championship. The TPC Sawgrass, as usual, had the final say.
Ramey put two tee shots in the water on the islandgreen 17th hole Friday for a quintuple-bogey that cost him a three-shot lead on a day of wild swings and, eventually, wild weather in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The second round was suspended with half the field unable to finish the round because of a storm system expected to dump a halfinch of rain on the Players Stadium Course.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Adam Svensson of Canada shared the lead at 8-under par, both doing what it takes to stay in front on this course. They didn't make a bogey Friday — Bezuidenhout through 14 holes, Svensson through 11 holes — and they have only one for the week.
Ben Griffin was the clubhouse leader. The former mortgage loan officer, who already had one close call in Bermuda late last year, was playing an exquisite round until taking double bogey on his final hole for a 1-under 71.
Griffin was at 6-under 138. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa was 6 over through 11 holes, while Min Woo Lee was at 6 under with three holes left in his round.
“Kind of glad this rain delay and thunder came in and let the putter rest a little bit and hopefully come out hot tomorrow,” Morikawa said.
Players were to return at 7 a.m. today to finish the second round. The third round is schedule for threesomes off both tees and should be able to finish before sundown. That depends on the pace of play, and some of that depends on Sawgrass.
Jon Rahm missed all of this. The world's No. 1 player had a bad stomach bug and withdrew about 30 minutes before his tee time. That puts his ranking in jeopardy, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy can overtake him.
The advantage goes to Scheffler, who looked shaky early and settled into his round. He birdied his last two holes of the day before the suspension — Nos. 9 and 10 — to get to 5 under. He has a 15-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole when play resumes.
McIlroy, meanwhile, took a double bogey on the sixth hole and was at 6 over for the tournament. He had eight holes to try to shave off four strokes that likely will be needed to make the cut.
Kenya Open
Nacho Elvira finished with two birdies and an eagle Friday to take a oneshot lead into the weekend at the Kenya Open.
The Spaniard's sparkling final three holes in the second round at Muthaiga Golf Club — capped with an eagle three on No. 18 — saw him move to 10 under and seize the lead from a trio of players who were in the clubhouse at 9 under.
Elvira's 6-under 65 put him just ahead of Nick Bachem, Ryo Hisatsune and Jayden Schaper.
Hisatsune had the round of the day and the lowest score of the tournament so far when he carded an 8-under 63 with 10 birdies.
It could have been even better if not for bogeys on No. 3 and No. 14.
Bachem made four birdies in a 67 and Schaper had seven birdies and only one dropped shot in his 65. First-round co-leader John Catlin of the United States slipped down into a tie for fifth at 8 under with a 70.