Warian Is Medalist & Gophers Are Team Champs at Highland Meadows
April 16, 2024
By Nick Hunter
nick@mngolf.org
BLAINE, Minn. – Following the first round of the 3M Open, 18-hole leader Scott Piercy said that every week on the PGA Tour, you can count on one or two players that go really low. Piercy happened to be that guy Thursday, shooting 9-under 62 at the inaugural event.
On Friday it was Bryson DeChambeau’s turn to pace the field, carding a career-low 9-under 62 to take a two-stroke lead over Canadian Adam Hadwin after two rounds of play at TPC Twin Cities.
“I would say the most important thing for me is the golf swing, first and foremost,” DeChambeau said after his round Friday. “All the other stuff, when we talk about air, when we’re talking about the wetness of the ground, that all affects how I’m playing. But ultimately, it’s about how I’m swing the golf club for me. All those things help me be more precise. As you could see today, I was close, so I was happy.”
Rolling in over 137 feet of putts Friday, DeChambeau’s flat stick was one of his most valuable assets during the second round, sinking five birdie putts from 19 feet or longer.
“I’ll take it. Hopefully I can keep that up this weekend. Whenever I can roll a couple putts in from 20 feet or more, that gives you a lot of confidence for the game. And when you’re striking it well and driving it where you’re looking, that’s obviously very positive. Kind of get into a rhythm a little bit, the zone, and it just feels good sometimes.”
Starting the second round on the 10th tee Friday, DeChambeau converted a short birdie opportunity at the 12th before rolling in a pair of lengthy putts at the 13th and 15th holes to turn at 8-under for the championship.
Beginning his back nine by sinking a 20-footer at the first, DeChambeau sharpened his iron game mid-round by sticking a pair of approaches inside of four feet at the second and fourth holes, moving him to 6-under for the round.
A tap-in birdie after reaching the par-5 sixth in two, DeChambeau drilled a pair of 23-footers for birdie at the seventh and eighth holes and he would finish the day with his second consecutive bogey-free round and career-low of 62.
“It’s obviously nice when you can make some putts that you weren’t thinking you were going to make and get you to a place that you haven’t been before,” DeChambeau said. “Coming into the last hole, hit a good drive and just got in the first cut and didn’t really know how I was going to come out.
“That was the only time I was nervous today and everything else felt like just pure rhythm and a very smooth day out there. Making a lot of putts, hitting a lot of great shots, executing my drives exactly where I needed to.”
With five PGA Tour victories to his credit, the last coming at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in November, DeChambeau has claimed seven top-25 finishes in 15 starts this season, collecting nearly $2.5 million in earnings.
Missing three consecutive cuts early in the spring, the 25-year-old Californian bounced back with a 22nd-place finish at the Memorial Tournament and a top-10 finish in his most recent start at the Travelers Championship two weeks ago.
Following his opening-round 64 with a round of 5-under par 66 Friday, Hadwin maintained his second-place spot on the leaderboard through two rounds, helped by carding five birdies on his inward nine.
“I’m in great position, playing really well again. Kept it in play. A couple bad shots here and there, but made a bunch of putts again today,” Hadwin said Friday. “It’s nice to play well and get a few more on the back side to get a little closer to [DeChambeau] and certainly within striking distance with [36 holes] to go.”
After an opening-round 70 Thursday, Spring Lake Park, Minn., native Troy Merritt jumped 60 spots on the leaderboard with his round of 7-under 64 Friday. He will begin the third round in a tie for 11th, six shots off the lead.
“I hit the ball really well off the tee. I think I only missed three fairways for the first two rounds, which really helps out here,” Merritt said Friday. “They’ve had a lot of rain lately and the rough is nice and lush. If you play from the fairway, you give yourself a chance for birdies.
“I didn’t hit the ball overly close yesterday and I had a couple silly mistakes, only shot 1-under, but today I cleaned it up, I took care of the par-5s and as a result, scored six shots lower than yesterday.”
Asked about the local support this week, Merritt said, “I have a lot of family and friends here. I live 1,500 miles away right now, but knowing the area, kind of knowing where to go and seeing a lot of familiar faces, it’s been nice. We don’t get that most weeks.
“It was funny, they were a lot louder today when more birdies were going in. Hopefully we can continue that this weekend and see how loud we can get them.”
Former Gopher golfer and 1996 Open champion Tom Lehman backed up his opening-round 67 Thursday by carding a 2-under par 69 Friday to make the weekend cut by three shots.
The 2019 3M Open continues Saturday when third round action begins at 9:25 a.m. at TPC Twin Cities.
2019 3M OPEN
TPC TWIN CITIES
BLAINE, MINN.
7,468 YARDS, PAR 71
FRIDAY’S SECOND ROUND RESULTS
1. Bryson DeChambeau, 66-62—128
2. Adam Hadwin, 64-66—130
T3. Scott Piercy, 62-70—132
T3. Sam Saunders, 65-67—132
T3. Brian Harman, 65-67—132
T3. Sam Burns, 66-66—132
T7. Arjun Antwal, 65-68—133
T7. Curtis Luck, 68-65—133
T7. Scott Brown, 68-65—133
T7. Kevin Streelman, 68-65—133
T11. TROY MERRITT, 70-64—134
T35. TOM LEHMAN, 67-69—136
MC. TIM HERRON, 73-74—147
MC. CRAIG BRISCHKE, 82-78—160
For complete tournament results go to: www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
April 9, 2024
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