Chesson Hadley moved a step nearer to his first PGA Tour victory in seven years, opening a four-stroke lead over Harris English and 6 over Dustin Johnson on Saturday within the rain-delayed Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
Hadley, within the last group, had simply pushed into the golf green. English and Tain have been getting ready to putt. Johnson had but to hit.
Hadley stands 19 holes away from closing out a shocking week together with his second profession tour victory after getting into this event off 5 consecutive missed cuts.
Hadley surged late with 4 birdies on a five-hole stretch of the again 9 to succeed in 14 beneath.
English was 10 beneath. Johnson, who was tied for the lead early within the spherical, dropped right into a third-place tie with South Africa’s Garrick Higgo at 8 beneath. Higgo completed with a 68.
WATCH | Hadley extends lead at Palmetto Championship:
Chesson Hadley rattled off three birdies in 4 holes to increase his result in 4-strokes on the Palmetto Championship at Congaree. 1:01
Hadley was holding a midway lead for the primary time in PGA Tour profession. And paired with world No. 1 Johnson, Hadley appeared poised to fall — particularly after his opening drive went left of the golf green and led to bogey. One gap later, Johnson’s birdie had them tied for the highest.
However it was Johnson who faltered, trying extra just like the error-prone bal- striker who missed cuts on the Masters and the PGA Championships the previous two months than the one who confidently took management of his home-state Congaree Golf Membership within the two opening rounds.
Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, eleventh on this planet, and Bo Van Pelt have been tied for fifth at 7 beneath. Hatton shot a 68 whereas Van Pelt had the day’s lowest rating at 66.
The third spherical of the Palmetto Championship at Congaree was referred to as for the day at 8 p.m. ET with 4 gamers left on the course.<br><br>R3 will resume at 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday.<br><br>R4 tee occasions can be 8:05 a.m. – 1:50 p.m. ET off of 1 tee.
—@PGATOURComms
Hadley, the PGA Tour’s rookie of the yr in 2014 whose solely victory got here that very same season, moved again on prime with three straight birdies on the twelfth, thirteenth and 14th holes. The final was a wonderfully struck putt from 32 toes away to separate from the sector.
Nobody might make amends for a sizzling, steamy South Carolina Saturday, leaving Hadley 18 holes, uh, 19, from his second profession tour victory.
So Hadley went out and shot 11-under 131 his first two rounds — his finest begin to a PGA Tour occasion since 2016 and his first-ever 36-hole lead on tour.
He discovered that kind once more when he wanted it most on the again 9 to regain the lead after shock challenger Lee (extra on that later) had birdies on 4 of the primary 5 holes to maneuver in entrance at 11-under.
Hadley held agency after his opening bogey earlier than his birdie run left him on prime as soon as extra.
However Lee, whose largest accomplishment would be the NCAA Division III particular person title he gained in 2013 for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps mixed school staff, couldn’t keep his poise throughout one of many largest rounds of his profession with three bogeys and a double bogey over a five-hole stretch of the again 9.
English would be the most able to spoiling Chesson’s possibilities. English has gained 3 times on tour, together with this previous January on the Sentry Event of Champions.
He was bogey free with 5 birdies by means of 16 holes. However he missed an 8-footer to avoid wasting par on the seventeenth. He has a birdie strive on the 18th when English returns to finish the spherical.
WATCH | Difficult punishments for inappropriate sports activities followers:
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Hosts of Carry It In Morgan Campbell, Meghan McPeak and Dave Zirin focus on the punishments set in place for inappropriate fan behaviour at North American sporting occasions. 11:37
