Meet the two players leading the Players Championship after Friday’s second round was cut short.
When the horn blew Friday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for the Players Championship, two unfamiliar names sat atop the leaderboard.
Chad Ramey was 10 under par after two birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 — his second and third of the day — but came back to Earth with bogeys on Nos. 13 and 1, and a quadruple-bogey at the par-3 17th thanks to two balls in the water. He’s now 4 under, four back.
Ramey trails Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Adam Svensson who both sit at 8 under. Both players are 4 under in their second rounds.
As for the stars, Scottie Scheffler is 5 under but left the course looking at a 17-foot putt for eagle at the par-5 11th. Collin Morikawa, who entered the second round one shot behind Ramey, is 1 over through 11 holes and now sits at 6 under.
If the two names on top are unfamiliar to you, you’re not alone. Let’s meet the two leaders at the 2023 Players Championship, which was official suspended due to inclement weather at 4:27 p.m. ET on Friday.
Score: 8 under. Country: South Africa. Last hole completed: No. 5 (currently on No. 6, four more to play). World Golf Ranking: 81 Best previous finish at the Players: 41st, 2021.
Adam Svensson
Score: 8 under. Country: Canada. Last hole completed: No. 2 (currently on No. 3, seven more to play). World Golf Ranking: 57. Best previous finish at the Players: None (first-timer).
Who else is on the leaderboard?
Bezuidenhout and Svensson hold a two-stroke lead over clubhouse leader Ben Griffin, who shot a 71 Friday. Min Woo Lee and Collin Morikawa are also at 6 under. Griffin has completed his round, while Lee has four holes to play and Morikawa has seven.
At 5 under are Taylor Pendrith and Scheffler. At 4 under are Will Gordon, Jason Day, Viktor Hovland, Denny McCarthy, Byeong Hun An, Chad Ramey and Adam Hadwin.
The second round will resume at 7 a.m. ET and the third round is expected to begin around 10:40 a.m. ET on Saturday.
There are nine players within a shot of the lead after the first round of the 2022 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson. Davis Riley, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Will Gordon lead at 6 under, but there are seven golfers who are tied for third a shot behind.
Said one player: “Yes. Because I love the PGA Tour, and if they asked me to be on that team, I would be on it.”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Did you really think we’d get a free week of golf at the 2022 Presidents Cup without discussing the divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?
While the majority of the focus this week at Quail Hollow Club has been on the stacked American roster and the International team’s quest for a first-ever win on U.S. soil, the absence of players like Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann has been felt and discussed.
But what if there was some crossover between the two professional tours? A question was posed to many of the 24 players competing this week: If a PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf team event was created, would you play?
Here’s a look at the International Team heading to Charlotte.
It’s time for the 2022 Presidents Cup.
The competition will be held in Charlotte, North Carolina at Quail Hollow Club. The course is a regular stop on the PGA Tour, hosting the Wells Fargo Championship, as well as the 2017 PGA Championship.
Now, some of the best players from around the world, Europe excluded, will come together and look to win on American soil for the first time in the event’s history.
Trevor Immelman, the 2008 Masters champion, is the captain for the International squad, and he has four assistant captains: K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy, Camilo Villegas and Mike Weir.
Here’s a look at the 12 players representing the International team in the 2022 Presidents Cup:
When Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann made the jump to LIV, Immelman suddenly had an extra pair of selections.
Trevor Immelman’s job as the Presidents Cup captain for the International Team has become more difficult as the competition approaches.
The top eight players on the points list had earned a spot on the team for the biennial event against the United States to be held Sept. 22-25 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, meaning Immelman had four picks to make.
But when a pair of players — Cam Smith and Joaquin Niemann — made the jump to LIV Golf before the recent event outside Boston, Immelman suddenly had an extra pair of selections to play with. This followed the costly defections of Louis Oosthuizen and Abraham Ancer, about whom Immelman had previously said, “We’ve lost two guys that were absolutely going to be there at Quail Hollow.”
The Presidents Cup is a match-play event with 30 total matches, comprised of a 12-person U.S. Team and a 12-person International Team. The U.S. leads 11-1-1.
Here’s a look at the six players Immelman selected on Tuesday to fill out his team.
Four of the 13 players who WD or RETD from the event carded an 80 in the opening round.
This week the DP World Tour (formally known as the European Tour) is in Hamburg, Germany, for the Porsche European Open at Green Eagle Golf Courses.
It’s a tough track.
How tough? Well, the cut came in at 4 over and the players currently in last heading into the final round are at 12 over.
But, it gets worse. Four of the 13 players who WD or RETD from the event carded an 80 in the opening round. One player, Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, shot a 16-over (!!) 88.
Many fans on social media are upset with the players, stating it’s disrespectful to not only the event’s host but the sponsors of the tournament as well as the other players in the field.
South African pro Christiaan Bezuidenhout, who is currently 62nd in the Official World Golf Ranking, was among those who brought up the issue.
13 players W/D – RETD this week on @DPWorldTour that was likely missing the weekend. Not much respect shown by them for the sponsors and fellow players. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻
It’s time to tee it up at the King’s place. This week the PGA Tour is in Orlando, Florida, for the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau is not in the field as he was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
The No. 1 ranked player in the world, Jon Rahm, will be making his tournament debut this week and is the betting favorite at +750.
The top of the betting odds list features some of the biggest names in the game including past champion Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland, and recent first-time winner Scottie Scheffler. However, there’s a bunch of value further down the list, starting with another past champion of this event.
After a solid week at Torrey Pines, can Jason Day return to his winning ways?
Despite personal feelings for the course, Torrey Pines delivered an amazing finish once again resulting in Luke List’s first win on the PGA Tour taking down the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris in a playoff.
Another playoff loss for one of my outright picks. Hate to see it, but that just means we’re destined to land one soon.
Anyway, this week the PGA Tour heads down to the Monterey Peninsula for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am won last year by Daniel Berger. He opens the week as the second betting favorite (+1200), only behind Patrick Cantlay (+750).
Like many of the tournaments we see in the early calendar year, several venues will be used throughout the week before the final round is back at Pebble.
Course(s)
Pebble Beach Golf Links
Par 72
6,972 yards
Spyglass Hill
Par 72
7,041
Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore)
Par 71
6,957 yards
Weather
Day
Conditions
Percent chance of rain
Wind & Direction
Tuesday
Sunny
2 percent
13 MPH (N)
Wednesday
Sunny
0 percent
11 MPH (NNE)
Thursday
Mostly Sunny
3 percent
8 MPH (N)
Friday
Sunny
3 percent
5 MPH (NW)
Saturday
Mostly Sunny
3 percent
8 MPH (N)
Sunday
Sunny
3 percent
7 MPH (N)
Key stats
Strokes Gained: Approach: Fairways are easy to find around these courses, so making sure the iron play stands above the rest is going to be critical.
Proximity from 100-150 yards: These three tracks are on the shorter side so the majority of the field is going to have a lot of wedges and short irons into greens. Stuffing those opportunities will maximize birdie potential.
Data Golf information
Course Fit (compares golf courses based on the degree to which different golfer attributes — such as driving distance — to predict who performs well at each course – DataGolf): 1. La Quinta Country Club, 2. Cog Hill Golf and Country Club, 3. CordeValle
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Patrick Cantlay (13.5 percent), 2. Daniel Berger (7.8 percent), 3. Will Zalatoris (3.8 percent)
Latest Twilight 9 episode
This week on the show Andy and I dive into List’s win at the Farmers Insurance Open, how Zalatoris’ first win is coming soon, a preview for this week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and tons more. Listen, download, and subscribe to the show for free here.
Betting card for the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Last week’s results (Farmers Insurance Open)
Tony Finau (Top 20): Miss
Maverick McNealy (Top 20): Miss
Will Zalatoris (Top 20): Hit, +155
Joaquin Niemann (Top South American): Hit, +250
Ryan Palmer (Top 20): Hit, +300
Luke List (Top 20): Hit +300
+802 (8.02 units) at the Farmers Insurance Open
+10.74 units in 2022
Jason Day – Top 20 (+115)
Jason Day plays his second shot on the fourth hole during the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines South Course in San Diego. (Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
Day, after a hole-out eagle on the 14th, tied for the lead in the final round at the Farmers. After a few late bogeys, he dropped, but still finished inside the top five (T-3).
Day’s last seven starts at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T-7 (2021), 4 (2020), T-4 (2019), T-2 (2018), T-5 (2017), T-11 (2016), and T-4 (2015).
Maverick McNealy – Top 20 (+150)
Maverick McNealy hits his tee shot on the 11th hole during the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. (Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Despite his finishing position, McNealy continued his stretch of good play at the Farmers Insurance Open. He ended the week T-30, but really only struggled on Sunday making six bogeys before pouring in a birdie on 17 and an eagle on 18.
Mav finished solo runner-up to Berger at the Pro-Am last year and signed for T-5 the year before. The California native feels comfortable at Pebble and is in great position for another solid week.
Mito Pereira – Top 20 (+250)
Mito Pereira of Chile plays his shot from the tenth tee during the first round of the Houston Open at Memorial Park Golf Course on November 11, 2021, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Pereira has three straight top 30 finishes, with another one coming last week at the Farmers (T-25). He’s seventh on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach.
He finished solo third at the Fortinet Championship earlier this season on poa anna greens. On top of everything, the Chilean has won a pro-am event before on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout – Top South African (+180)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout hits his drive on the 10th hole during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports)
Bezuidenhout grabbed a top 20 earlier this season at the Sony before two consecutive mediocre performances (T-40, T-46 the last two weeks). He has a thing for performing well at short golf courses.
*Based on Average Finish over the past 4 years. **Min 3 starts.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout: “It’s any South African golfer’s dream to win a national tournament. It’s unreal.”
[jwplayer 7NBaZ2A0-vgFm21H3]
Christiaan Bezuidenhout became the first golfer to win back-to-back events on the European Tour in three years on Sunday.
What made it even more special for Bezuidenhout is that his victory came in the 110th South African Open.
“It’s unbelievable to stand here with an Open win,” Bezuidenhout said. “It’s any South African golfer’s dream to win a national tournament. It’s unreal.”
Bezuidenhout is from Delmas, which is about an hour away from the Gary Player Country Club. It’s his third win overall on the Euro Tour in 2020.
Seven days ago, Bezuidenhout’s win in the Dunhill Championship got him back into the top 50 in the world ranking. Now he’s in the top five of the Race to Dubai standings and he will be a contender at next week’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
Bezuidenhout, 26, started the final round with a five-shot lead over Jamie Donaldson, who cut the deficit to two but got no closer as Bezuidenhout birdied the first three holes on the back nine to pull away.
Back-to-back 🏆🏆
The first player since Justin Rose in 2017 to win two consecutive tournaments on the European Tour.#SAOpenpic.twitter.com/o1JAssKB5e
“I fought hard today, the front nine things didn’t really go my way and I just dug deep to come out with a win today,” he said. “That was massive (birdieing the 10th, 11th and 12th). I have to say, the second putt on 11 was huge and obviously the putt on 12 was a bonus, I just tried to get it close inside a couple of feet and made it.”
Bezuidenhout closed with a 69 to finish at 18 under. Donaldson was solo second at 13 under. South African Dylan Frittelli was third, seven shots back. Dean Burmester finished solo fourth at 10 under. JC Ritchie was solo fifth at 9 under.
Casey Jarvis of South Africa won low amateur honors.
Justin Rose in 2017 was the last to win consecutive European Tour victories.
Bezuidenhout posted his third consecutive 67 in this week’s South African Open to move to 15 under, widening his lead to five strokes.
If consistency is the key to capturing golf tournaments, Christiaan Bezuidenhout might just keep winning.
After winning the Alfred Dunhill Championship on last week’s Euro/Sunshine swing, Bezuidenhout posted his third consecutive 67 in this week’s South African Open to move to 15 under, widening his lead to five strokes heading into the final day.
If he does turn the trick, Bezuidenhout would be the first player to win consecutive European Tour events since Justin Rose did so in 2017.
Bezuidenhout posted just his second bogey of the week (again on the par-3 third hole), but didn’t drop another shot all day at Gary Player Country Club in Sun City. With other leaders fading a bit, the South African star made a total of six birdies including one on the day’s final hole.
Meanwhile, veteran Welshman Jamie Donaldson, who opened the day tied with Bezuidenhout atop the board, had a rough mid-round stretch, dropping shots on three of four holes from Nos. 8 to 11. Donaldson and Dylan Frittelli are 10 under with 18 holes to play.
The low round of the day went to South African JC Ritchie, who fired a 66 to get to 9 under for the week. Ritchie is tied with Dean Burmester for fourth.
