Amateur Wolff makes the cut
Amateur Matthew Wolff, who got in the field at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on a sponsor exemption, is making tournament organizers The Thunderbirds happy by proving he belongs.
Wolff backed up his first-round 67 with a second-round 70, putting him five-under, eight shots back the lead.
A 19-year-old sophomore at college powerhouse Oklahoma State, Wolff helped the Cowboys win their nationleading 11th national title last season. Along the way he won the Phil Mickelson Award, given to the nation’s top male freshman golfer.
Wolff is known for an unorthodox swing. But he hits it a country mile. On Thursday, he averaged 328.1 yards off the tee, which was fifth in the field in driving distance.
Now it’s on to the weekend. Saturday at the TPC Scottsdale awaits.
“There’s no way to prepare for it to be honest,” he said in darkness outside the clubhouse a few minutes after his group finished the round. “Even if you get booed on 16, it’s all in good spirit,” he said. “It’s unlike any other stage in all of golf.”
Now that he has seen the course twice in tournament conditions, he said he’s ready to roll.
“I feel confident and I have a good plan. Depending on the pins it might change a little but I’ve played this course well over the last couple of days and even in the practice rounds and 16, there’s really no way to prepare for that. I’m just going to go in there, try to hit the green, hopefully roll in a putt or something.”
Wolff is grouped with two-time tournament champ J.B. Holmes and Zach Johnson, teeing off the first hole at 9:05 a.m.
Making, missing the cut
Wolff was one of five sponsor exemptions in the field. John Catlin (-1) also made the cut but Bill Haas (+10), Aaron Baddeley (+4) and Stephan Jaeger (+1) did not.
Two of the three Monday qualifiers will also play the weekend: David Hearn (-7) and Max Homa (-4) are sticking around but Blair Hamilton (+7) is headed home.
A missed cut but a new car
South Korean golfer Sung Kang shot 77 and missed the cut by six strokes but still had reason to celebrate as he won a new Ford Edge ST in the second annual Drive for Your Ride event at the par-3 16th hole.
Kang finished first in the contest, sponsored by Arizona Ford dealers, by placing his tee shots a combined 4 feet, 8 inches from the hole in the first two days of the event. His shot Friday stopped 3 feet, 3 inches away. Special Olympics Arizona, which was Kang’s designated charity, also will receive a new vehicle.
Saturday’s weather
The forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with a high of 69 for the third round. Rain is possible between midnight Saturday and noon Sunday with a few lingering showers Sunday afternoon.
Green out
Once again, Saturday is the annual Green Out at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where everyone from volunteers to fans, caddies to golfers, are encouraged to don something green. The Green Out commemorates the title sponsor’s sustainability initiatives.