Golf roundup: South Korea's Sungjae Im holds 36-hole Valspar lead

[ASFN Admin]

You must be registered for see images attach

South Korea's Sungjae Im rolled in a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole on Friday to grab the 36-hole lead at the Valspar Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Im, who entered the day with a two-shot lead, drifted down the leaderboard by going out in 1-over 37 on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. However, he regained momentum with consecutive birdies on hole Nos. 11 and 12 before sticking his tee shot tight on the difficult 180-yard par-3 17th.

Valspar Championship scoreboard

He ended the day with a 2-under 69 and sits at 9 under for the tournament. That's one-shot clear of David Lipsky, who carded a 6-under 65 during the morning wave. Another shot back are Doug Ghim and Chandler Blanchet.

Brooks Koepka, who spent the first half of his round hovering around the cut line, poured in four birdies over a five-hole stretch on his back nine to post a 67. He is at 4 under for the tournament, tied for 10th in a group of seven players that includes FedEx Cup leader Jacob Bridgeman, Tony Finau and Gary Woodland.

Van Pelt ties Cologuard course record​

Bo Van Pelt tied the course record with a 9-under-par 62 on Friday to lead by two shots after the first round of the Cologuard Classic at La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Ariz.

Starting on the back nine, Van Pelt had already rolled in five birdies when he eagled the par-5 third hole. He followed that with his lone bogey of the day before rebounding to close with a trio of birdies to match the 62 shot by Stewart Cink in the first round two years ago.

Retief Goosen and Thongchai Jaidee are two shots back at 7 under, followed by a trio of golfers at 6 under that includes all-time Champions Tour victory leader Bernhard Langer, Darren Clarke and Tommy Gainey.

Cink, who leads the Charles Schwab Cup standings, is tied for 11th at 4 under along with 2022 Cologuard champ Miguel Angel Jimenez and six others. Zach Johnson is at 3 under as he tries to join Phil Mickelson as the only players in history to win their first two events on the Champions Tour.

Defending champion Steven Alker is nine shots off Van Pelt's pace after struggling to an even-par 71 on Friday that included five bogeys that offset five birdies. No player has yet to successfully defend his title at the Cologuard Classic.

This is the third time La Paloma has played host to the event, which uses a composite route that includes holes from all three of the property's courses.

DeChambeau takes lead in South Africa​

Bryson DeChambeau sank a birdie on the par-5, 18th hole on Friday to open up a two-shot lead following the second round of LIV Golf South Africa.

DeChambeau, the two-time U.S. Open champion and winner of last week's LIV Singapore event, carded an eagle and seven birdies but also had a double bogey on the par-4 12th. He finished 6-under-par 65 on Friday for a tournament total of 14 under-par.

David Puig (64 on Friday) and home favorite Brandon Grace (66) sit two shots behind the lead, with Spain's Jon Rahm (66), South African Dean Burmester (64), Abraham Ancer (65) and Charles Howell III (68) sitting tied at fourth.

Grace notched six birdies in front of his home crowd at Johannesburg's Steyn City, including one at the 17th hole known as The Lion's Den, an area that showcases the enthusiasm of the crowds and the unique nature of LIV tournaments.

Players can choose a signature song to play as they walk through an L-shaped tunnel in the stands to enter the 17th hole. The hospitality area features fan games, live MCs and a DJ, creating "a dynamic mix of music, culture, and crowd energy that takes over as the sun goes down," according to LIV Golf.

The Lion's Den brought mixed emotions from players.

"That's actually one of the holes I feel most nervous on," Grace told reporters after the second round. "I know it's only a wedge and things, but when you walk through there, you know, OK, you've arrived. When you go through and the smoke is going everywhere, OK, I have to step up, put your big boy pants on and hit a golf shot."

DeChambeau didn't seem to notice Grace's nerves in the Lion's Den, as the South African stuck it to three feet and tapped in a birdie.

"It was an unbelievable shot and a great birdie," DeChambeau said, who fist- bumped Grace after the shot. "That was just a cool moment in the Lion's Den, being able to hit a good shot like that and make the putt easily. There's respect there. It's not trying to do anything. It's just me being authentic and saying, good shot, great putt."

The hometown favorites Southern Guards (34 under-par) were knocked down a bit from Thursday's high, when they led the team competition. The South African quartet of Louis Oosthuizen, Burmester, Grace and Charl Schwartzel were bumped down by Torque, who have a combined score of 36 under-par after two rounds.

Still, the team dip couldn't dampen the spirits of the native South Africans, who were feeling the love from the raucous hometown crowd and returning it.

"I think events like this, like I said, this is such a close event to the heart for all of us Southern Guards guys. We've dreamt of bringing a tournament to South Africa. We've dreamt this is what it would be like," Grace said.

"Goosebumps the whole day throughout the round, numerous times … It was phenomenal. Like I said, the closest thing to this that I've experienced is a Presidents Cup, and in my opinion, this has topped it. It's really been unbelievable and the best experience for me today."

DeChambeau also appreciated the opportunity to bring the sport to a new in- person audience.

"The ultimate goal is to inspire – being able to hit a tee shot and a kid go, oh, my gosh, it's so cool, and then being able to sign an autograph and give a high five as I walk up to another tee box, that's what makes me feel good in playing golf," DeChambeau said.

There will be plenty of opportunities for similar interactions in the last two rounds of the tournament, as LIV Golf announced Friday that tickets officially are sold out for the weekend.

You must be registered for see images attach

Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.


This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Golf recap from PGA's Valspar Championship, Champions Tour, LIV

Continue reading...