Ryan Armour uses ace to climb up leaderboard at Rocket Mortgage Classic

Count Ryan Armour among those who used the three-month hiatus to exhale and find some much-needed confidence.

Count Ryan Armour among those who used the three-month hiatus to exhale and find some much-needed confidence.

Armour, a native of Akron, Ohio, and a former Ohio State star, had been struggling, missing six straight cuts before the pandemic set in. He broke 70 just one time during that stretch.

Since the break, however, Armour is a new man. He made the cut at his first event back, the RBC Heritage, and then shined in Connecticut at the Travelers Championship, firing four straight rounds in the 60s to finish T-7.

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The 44-year-old Armour, who has one PGA Tour win (2017 Sanderson Farms Championship) and one Korn Ferry Tour win (2016 Panama Claro Championship), is making noise in Detroit this week, as well. After a solid 69 on Thursday, Armour put together a string of five birdies in eight holes to get close to the first page of the leaderboard.

He then recorded an ace on the 157-yard No. 5, the first one on that hole this week, pulling him within two shots of the lead. He bogeyed the sixth hole, but rebounded with another birdie on No. 7, moving to 10-under par.

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