Head to -5
At the head of the USPGA 2021, there are finally two men. Louis Oosthuizen had started his week with a 71 (-1) card but this Friday, the native of Mossel Bay, made an almost perfect copy, recording on his card 5 birdies for a bogey. The winner of the British 2010 points to -5 total thanks to this card of 68 (-4). But the South African is not alone in the lead and the other co-leader is much more surprising even if he is one of the stars of the game since Louis Oosthuizen shares the lead with Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson la charge
Lefty never dies! At almost 51 years old, the five-time Major winner showed this Friday that he still had a little under his feet. After a first card of 70 (-2), on the course of Kiawah Island, the American left-hander offered himself six birdies for only three bogeys. With a card of 69 (-3) and a total score of -5, the winner of the USPGA 2005 therefore shares the lead after 36 holes.
« I am making more and more progress on my concentration. I try to use my mind like a muscle and train it to be even stronger. As I got older, it was harder for me to stay focused and have good visualization. Physically, I feel like I am capable of playing and hitting the shots as I have throughout my career. I feel like I can do it just as well, but I have to be clear about it and focus. »
Mickelson and Oosthuizen are currently one step ahead of Brooks Koepka.
No weekend for the French
After a complicated first lap, Victor Perez and Antoine Rozner had a much better day but unfortunately they will both miss the weekend by a point. If Rozner had returned a first card of 79 (+7), the player of La Boulie made up for it by registering a 71 (-1). The double winner on the European Tour, recorded on his card no less than four birdies for three bogeys. With a score of +6, the Parisian finished 82nd.
A rank he shares with Victor Perez. The 33rd world player returns a second card in par (72) and also stays at +6 total. The cut is finally set at +5 and leaves aside, in addition to our French, three of the four best players in the world: n ° 1 Dustin Johnson but also Justin Thomas n ° 2 and Xander Sc Chaudele n ° 4! It goes for Jon Rahm n ° 3 but at +3, he does not have much to hope for. On the other hand, Bryson DeChambeau, world No. 5, -1, is in the game. But the big favorite is now called Brooks “Majors” Koepka.
Brooks « Majors » Koepka
The American returned a 71 (-1) card after his 69 (-3) the day before. Second to the leaders, the double winner of the tournament, in 2018 and 2019, has as many victories in Major (4) as elsewhere on the PGA Tour. Before the start of the tournament, he had a cumulative score of -78 since 2017 in Grand Slam tournaments and was well ahead of Dustin Johnson, second in this ranking with -31. A gap that will further increase on Sunday evening. With a third victory in four years at the key at the USPGA? In any case, his financial stats on this tournament should still swell: Koepka at the USPGA, it’s more than $ 5 million in earnings or 638,000 per tournament, 159,000 per round, 8,800 per hole and 2,300 per stroke …
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