WEB.COM TOUR REPORT AND SCORES FROM BRAZIL
ROOKIE CURRAN CALLING THE SHOTS
FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
• Friday weather: Mostly sunny. Winds NNE 5-10 mph until 3 pm, then shifting SE 10-20 mph with gusts to 37 mph. Daytime high of 90 degrees. Overnight low of 70.
• The low 65 players (and ties) will advance to the final two rounds.
+ Scotland's Jimmy Gunn is going to miss the cut by a big margin even if he were to birdie all of the seven holes he still has to play. The Dornoch man saddled himself with an eight-over-par 79 in the first round. In his uncompleted second round, he birdied the long third, bogeyed the long eighth, birdied the long 13th and he will resume this morning with seven to play.
The forecast is for a cut figure of four under par for 36 holes.
LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
125 Jon Curran 61 64
130 Andres Echevarria 67 63
131 Oscar Fraustro 67 64, Alex Cejka 65 66
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
FROM THE US PGA TOUR WEBSITE
By Joe Chemycz, Web.com Tour staff
SAO PAULO, Brazil – Jon Curran had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. The 27-year old Vanderbilt University grad had been making putt after putt after putt and he wanted to be certain what was transpiring in the first and second rounds of the weather-delayed Brasil Champions was real.
It was. It is.
“It’s probably the best I’ve ever played or putted or scored for 36 holes,” said Curran, who nearly rewrote the Web.com Tour record book.
Instead he’ll have to settle for adding his name to several categories after posting rounds of 61-64 for two-day total of 17-under 125, which is good for a five-shot lead halfway into matters at the Sao Paulo Golf Club.
“I wasn’t sure what was going on,” said the Massachusetts native who now calls Tequesta, Florida home. “It was ridiculous. I just wondered what the heck was going on.”
Birdies were going on.
The threat of lightning Thursday afternoon halted play and forced half the field to return Friday. Curran came back to the course Friday morning to finish seven holes of his opening round. With softened greens, no wind and lift, clean and place conditions in effect, he promptly birdied the first six of seven and turned a 4-under round into a 10-under round of 61, setting a new course record in the process.
He had about 20 minutes to get to the 10th tee and begin Round 2, starting on the same side that he had chalked eight straight birdies the first time around. Curran started with three in a row, giving him nine in just 10 holes.
“It sounds cliche but I wasn’t doing anything special,” he said.
“I was making a lot of putts from 10 feet, from 4 feet, from 15 feet. I was hitting a lot of quality iron shots and putting it in the fairway. I was giving myself a lot of chances to hit it close and I felt pretty confident with the putter."
Curran, a rookie on the Web.com Tour this year, had only two hiccups in 36 holes, both in the second round – he missed a five-footer for par at No. 18 and then three-putted on the par-5, 8th hole to derail his record run.
“I came here and saw this golf course and thought it was awesome,” he said. “It’s short and plays into my advantages because I hit a lot of wedges. I didn’t want to jinx it but I really do like it here.”
Curran’s two-day score of 125 is one off the all-time mark set by Kevin Chappell at the 2010 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. His 17-under score is two off the Tour’s mark for most strokes under par after 36 holes which is held by Chappell and Webb Simpson (2008 Chattanooga Classic).
“I’m always looking at the leaderboards but I didn’t today,” said Curran. “I’m always looking at the board when I’m on the cut line. I can’t get myself to ignore it.
"Today I just went along. I was in the zone, there’s nothing more I can say about it.”
Curran’s nearest challenger is former Florida Gator Andres Echavarria, who birdied four par-3s en route to an 8-under 63 and a 12-under 130 total.
Oscar Fraustro (64) and Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship winner Alex Cejka (66) share third place at 11-under, six back.
Play was halted at 4:15 when more lightning bubbled up and sent half the field into the cover of the clubhouse. With a thunderstorm brewing, play was called for the day. Second-round play will resume at 7 am Saturday.
Second-Round Notes SAO PAULO, Brazil – Jon Curran had to pinch himself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. The 27-year old Vanderbilt University grad had been making putt after putt after putt and he wanted to be certain what was transpiring in the first and second rounds of the weather-delayed Brasil Champions was real.
It was. It is.
“It’s probably the best I’ve ever played or putted or scored for 36 holes,” said Curran, who nearly rewrote the Web.com Tour record book.
Instead he’ll have to settle for adding his name to several categories after posting rounds of 61-64 for two-day total of 17-under 125, which is good for a five-shot lead halfway into matters at the Sao Paulo Golf Club.
“I wasn’t sure what was going on,” said the Massachusetts native who now calls Tequesta, Florida home. “It was ridiculous. I just wondered what the heck was going on.”
Birdies were going on.
The threat of lightning Thursday afternoon halted play and forced half the field to return Friday. Curran came back to the course Friday morning to finish seven holes of his opening round. With softened greens, no wind and lift, clean and place conditions in effect, he promptly birdied the first six of seven and turned a 4-under round into a 10-under round of 61, setting a new course record in the process.
He had about 20 minutes to get to the 10th tee and begin Round 2, starting on the same side that he had chalked eight straight birdies the first time around. Curran started with three in a row, giving him nine in just 10 holes.
“It sounds cliche but I wasn’t doing anything special,” he said.
“I was making a lot of putts from 10 feet, from 4 feet, from 15 feet. I was hitting a lot of quality iron shots and putting it in the fairway. I was giving myself a lot of chances to hit it close and I felt pretty confident with the putter."
Curran, a rookie on the Web.com Tour this year, had only two hiccups in 36 holes, both in the second round – he missed a five-footer for par at No. 18 and then three-putted on the par-5, 8th hole to derail his record run.
“I came here and saw this golf course and thought it was awesome,” he said. “It’s short and plays into my advantages because I hit a lot of wedges. I didn’t want to jinx it but I really do like it here.”
Curran’s two-day score of 125 is one off the all-time mark set by Kevin Chappell at the 2010 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic. His 17-under score is two off the Tour’s mark for most strokes under par after 36 holes which is held by Chappell and Webb Simpson (2008 Chattanooga Classic).
“I’m always looking at the leaderboards but I didn’t today,” said Curran. “I’m always looking at the board when I’m on the cut line. I can’t get myself to ignore it.
"Today I just went along. I was in the zone, there’s nothing more I can say about it.”
Curran’s nearest challenger is former Florida Gator Andres Echavarria, who birdied four par-3s en route to an 8-under 63 and a 12-under 130 total.
Oscar Fraustro (64) and Pacific Rubiales Colombia Championship winner Alex Cejka (66) share third place at 11-under, six back.
Play was halted at 4:15 when more lightning bubbled up and sent half the field into the cover of the clubhouse. With a thunderstorm brewing, play was called for the day. Second-round play will resume at 7 am Saturday.
• Friday weather: Mostly sunny. Winds NNE 5-10 mph until 3 pm, then shifting SE 10-20 mph with gusts to 37 mph. Daytime high of 90 degrees. Overnight low of 70.
• The low 65 players (and ties) will advance to the final two rounds.
+ Scotland's Jimmy Gunn is going to miss the cut by a big margin even if he were to birdie all of the seven holes he still has to play. The Dornoch man saddled himself with an eight-over-par 79 in the first round. In his uncompleted second round, he birdied the long third, bogeyed the long eighth, birdied the long 13th and he will resume this morning with seven to play.
The forecast is for a cut figure of four under par for 36 holes.
LEADERBOARD
Par 142 (2x71)
125 Jon Curran 61 64
130 Andres Echevarria 67 63
131 Oscar Fraustro 67 64, Alex Cejka 65 66
TO VIEW ALL THE SCORES
CLICK HERE
Labels: NATIONWIDE TOUR
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Saturday, March 15, 2014
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