Justin Thomas, Bubba Watson climate wind to put up bogey-free rounds at Gamers Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — In what already was the hardest pre-cut spherical on the Gamers Championship in 15 years, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson managed to play bogey-free Saturday in ferocious wind on a day of much more spills than thrills.

The rain lastly cleared out and TPC Sawgrass acquired much more terrifying with gusts that approached 40 mph on a Stadium Course that may be punishing even in calm circumstances.

The place that leaves Thomas (69) and Watson (68) will not be decided till Sunday when the second spherical is accomplished. The rain-plagued match is thus far behind that 27 gamers have but to begin the second spherical.

Thomas and Watson shared the clubhouse lead at 3-under 141. They left in a tie for 15th, and 6 of the gamers forward of them had not completed a single gap.

Kevin Kisner reached 6 beneath in his second spherical till lacking a brief par putt on No. Four and going from tough to water for a double bogey on the subsequent gap. He shot 74 and was at 2-under 142. Dustin Johnson birdied his closing gap for a 73 and was at 142, with two double bogeys on the par 5s over 36 holes.

The course was so saturated by rain that it took 54 hours, 16 minutes from Adam Schenk hitting the opening tee shot Thursday morning to Brendan Steele holing out early Saturday afternoon to finish the primary spherical.

Tom Hoge goes into Sunday along with his title atop the leaderboard. He nonetheless has performed solely 18 holes. He opened with a 6-under 66 on Thursday and was tied with Tommy Fleetwood, who was even par by means of three holes when play was suspended.

Those that spent greater than six hours on the course Saturday held on for expensive life, particularly after they got here to the infamous island inexperienced on the par-3 17th.

Over two days, solely 4 gamers hit into the water. On Saturday when play resumed, the primary 4 gamers could not discover the inexperienced. Scottie Scheffler had the wind die and went lengthy into the water. Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka caught a gust and got here up brief, as did Collin Morikawa within the group behind them.

By the top of the day, 29 balls had gone into the water.

The typical rating for the second spherical when play was suspended was 75.37, and it was sure to go greater Sunday morning. The typical was 75.41 for the opening spherical in 2007, the primary 12 months the Gamers was in Might. The very best ever for the opening two rounds was 76.19 in 2000 when it was in March.

Scoring tends to get decrease after the reduce. The very best common rating for any spherical was 76.51 within the third spherical of 2005.

“Insane,” Thomas stated to explain the problem.

Keegan Bradley (71) spoke of hitting a 9-iron from 96 yards on the 12th gap lifeless into the wind, and the identical membership from 206 yards with the wind at his again on the par-5 16th.

The forecast was for temperatures within the higher 30s when play was to renew Sunday morning and wind not fairly as fierce however no much less difficult.

Thomas thought he was going to finish up on the great finish of the draw after they began out Friday in smooth, nonetheless circumstances within the rain. Returning to 30 mph wind Saturday morning to complete the spherical after which going through 18 holes of that within the afternoon? Not a lot.

“There’s at all times one one that performs good on the unhealthy aspect of the draw,” Thomas stated. “I stored saying, ‘Be that man.’ I am very happy with myself right now.”

So many others went the unsuitable route.

Schauffele was Four beneath for his opening spherical, 2 pictures out of the lead, when he hit into the water on the 17th and did properly to salvage a bogey.

However on the 18th gap — enjoying so lengthy into the wind that some gamers wanted fairway steel to succeed in the par-Four in two pictures — Schauffele drew such a nasty lie within the tough that he superior it solely about 15 yards. From there, he hit into the water. After a drop, his pitch had a lot spin into the wind that it rolled again some 75 ft again into the green.

He completed bogey-quadruple bogey for a 73, after which shot 78 within the second spherical.

Koepka was Three beneath when he returned and was simply left of the par-5 16th in two. It took him 4 pictures to get down. He put his tee shot within the water on the 17th for double bogey and shot 72. He adopted that with an 81, matching his highest rating on the PGA Tour.

Requested to explain the 17th, Koepka stated, “It is luck.”

He hit an 8-iron from 205 yards on the 16th gap within the morning. He estimates his 8-iron on the 17th going the opposite route went 105 yards within the air, after which some 20 ft to the underside of the pond.

Tour officers tried to arrange with simpler pins for the second spherical, barely elevating the reduce of the greens the final two days, not rolling them since Friday.

“It is brutal, man,” Kisner stated. “It is pure luck and considerably lack of integrity of the match in my view. We have 36 extra holes to determine who’s enjoying the perfect.”

The second spherical was to renew at 8:15 a.m. That might be adopted by the third spherical, which might not finish till Monday morning. The match nonetheless was prone to end Monday night.