ZALATORIS FINDS OPENING IN BENIGN CONDITIONS TO LEAD
TULSA—Getting the benefit of calmer conditions with a later tee time, Will Zalatoris fired a bogey-free five-under-par 65 on Friday to take the lead after the second round of the Professional Golfers’ Association, which also had its focus on a limping Tiger Woods as he battled his way into the weekend.
Aided when gusting winds vanished in the afternoon at daunting Southern Hills, Zalatoris reeled off three back-nine birdies in a row and sank a seven-foot birdie putt on the 17th to be at 131, a stroke ahead of Chile’s Mito Pereira, who fired a 64.
“I had the luck of the draw. There wasn’t any wind after the 11th hole,” Zalatoris, the 30thranked player in the world and last year’s Masters second-placer, said. “I made the most of it with some good shotmaking.”
Bubba in contention
“I guess shooting six-under wasn’t really the expectation, but here we are,” Pereira, a 27-yearold from Santiago, said. “Not going to change anything.”
Woods, fighting back after severe leg injuries in a car crash 15 months ago, overcame a double bogey on the par-3 11th with birdies on the par-5 13th and par4 16th to shoot 69 and make the weekend with a 143 aggregate (See related story on this page).
The most beautiful shotmaking came from two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson, who matched the course record with a 63 that included nine birdies, his most in any major round.
“It’s very nice. Don’t get me wrong. It’s an honor to be able to shoot 63 on any golf course. I’ll take it,” Watson said. “But I’ve got to look forward to tomorrow and see where I’m at and hit hopefully just as quality shots as I did today.”
Watson was fourth at 135, one stroke behind 2017 champion Justin Thomas, who played in the most brutal of winds, and one stroke ahead of Rory McIlroy, the 18-hole leader who battled to a 71 to share fifth with American Davis Riley and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer.
“There’s a long way to go,” said McIlroy, expecting a change in wind direction for the weekend. “We’re going to see a completely different course. Everyone is going to have to adapt.”
Watson only missed matching the all-time low major round of 62 when he missed a 23-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
“I gave it a chance,” Watson said. “But I didn’t want to threeputt so I didn’t give it too much of a chance.”
Zalatoris, who has four top10 finishes in seven major starts, began his birdie blitz on the par-3 11th and made every putt he had inside 10 feet.
“Kept the momentum going with some good putts,” he said. “Really pleased.”