Orlando, Florida (AP) – After two months without competition, PGA and the British Open Xander Schauffele champion set modest expectations in Bay Hill and reached one of his goals at Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He obtains two other laps. The longest sequence of the PGA Tour cup in 20 years is still intact at 58 years in a row.
But it took more work than it was imagined. Schauffele, which opened with a 77, had 3 under his round through 10 holes when he was in trouble. The 11th hole felt like it was “struck in the face with a frying pan”. The 12th hole in 5 that he described as an “absolute disaster”.
He made a double bogey on both and was on the strings. But he found birdies on a course that does not easily abandon them, hitting a corner at 8 feet at a pin at the back on the 13th, launching a 30-foot sneaktened putt on the 14th, then a Fairway bunker in Pin-High on the 16th Par-5 to install a two-stroke birdie.
A bogey on the final hole gave him 71 – 12 shots behind the leader of 36 holes Shane Lowry – and made him sweat briefly until it is clear that he would cut the number. This signature event has a cup of 36 holes at the top 50 and links, more anyone with less than 10 strokes of the head.
“I’m really trying not to stop,” said Schauffele. “Even today, there is a double-double sitting in a very beautiful place, it was an easy moment to be frustrated. But I said earlier in the week, I should go to a special place to play decent golf course, and I had to widen deeply. So it was a good practice on this forehead.
Schauffele plays for the first time since the Kapalua sentry begins the year, taking time to cure intercostal tension and a slight tear in the cartilage in its right coast. He did not expect an immediate return to Great Golf. He didn’t want to leave either on Friday either.
Austin Kaiser, his shopping cart joked by saying that he only needed four more years to catch the record of 142 discounts in a row by Tiger Woods from February 1998 to May 2005.
It is no less impressive. The sequence is the sixth longer in the history of the PGA Tour behind Woods, Byron Nelson (113), Jack Nicklaus (105), Hale Irwin (86) and Dow Finsterwald (72).
“Austin and I are proud of our cup sequence, without a doubt,” said Schauffele. “Is this what we think?” No. But generally, when you focus on victory, you make a lot of cuts and you find somewhere between the two. »»
It is not that it did not cross his mind on occasion.
Schauffele was on the strings of Open Scottish last summer, two strokes under the Cup line until five birdies in the last 11 holes.
Kaiser had mentioned the cup sequence to his boss the day before, so Schauffele was well aware. There was no panic in him that day at the Open Scottish, a sign of the confidence he had his game. Schauffele would win the British Open the following week.
“I would have missed this cup a few years ago,” he said last summer. He spoke that day that he did not have to convince himself of being calm when it was bad.
This is what it looked like Bay Hill on Friday. He pulled a fairway bunker pulled in the water on the 11th, leading to double Bogey. He was in good position just to the right of the 12th green when he cut the green, left a short chip and took the double bogey.
And then came the impressive answer.
“I had to dig deeply,” said Schauffele. “I heard a birdie – Someone sorted the next hole in front of me, Shane or Rory (McILroy), then someone also sneaked on by 3. And I just said to myself:” If they can do it, I too “”
___
AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
