Blue Monster bares its teeth
Matt Kuchar, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Hunter Mahan were tied for the lead after the second round of the Cadillac Championship.
On a windy day at Doral’s Blue Monster, few players managed to card a score below 76, only the leading quartet managed to break par as 113 balls ended in the water on the day.
Kuchar (74) chipped to within a yard from the cup to claim an easy birdie on the 18th to go one under, while Johnson (74) bogeyed three of his last six holes to finish on the same score.
“There’s a lot of water out here,” Kuchar admitted.
“Greens are slick and firm and conditions are really tough.
“I think that you have to kind of embrace the challenge. I think that you have to look forward to seeing what sort of shots you can come up with.
“The Blue Monster certainly showed its teeth today.”
Reed (75) only carded two birdies in his round while Mahan (74) needed an eagle on the eighth to add some respectability to his score after carding a disappointing triple bogey earlier in his round.
“I felt stressed all day, because I knew every shot had ‘big penalty’ written all over it,” Mahan admitted after his round.
“It was a really tough day. There wasn’t an easy shot out there.”
With conditions getting more difficult as the round went on, only three players – Graeme McDowell (71), Jamie Donaldson (70) Chris Kirk (71) – broke par and nobody managed a round in the sixties.
“I don’t think I’ve played in conditions this difficult in the U.S.,” McDowell who is at even par along with Rory McIlroy (74), Francesco Molinari (75) and Donaldson.
World number one Tiger Woods had to settle for a 73, but was responsible for the shot of the day when he made a birdie putt from more than 91 feet on the par three fourth hole.
Woods is in a tie for 25th place on five over par alongside Mickelson (75) and Ryan Moore (79).
After the round, Woods was asked which of the holes he found most challenging on the day, to which he replied: “One through 18 right now.”
“For me, yes. I don’t know about the other players, but I found all of them pretty hard out there today.”
Latest
-
European TourCollin Morikawa wins Race to Dubai as Rory McIlroy’s frustrations boil over
The Northern Irishman appeared to rip his shirt open in the recording area behind the 18th green.
-
NewsTiger Woods shares footage of him hitting balls as rehab continues
Woods was injured in a car accident in February.
-
-
European TourRory McIlroy takes one-shot lead into final round in Dubai after shooting a 67
England’s Sam Horsfield is just a shot off the lead, one ahead of Scot Robert MacIntyre.
-
European TourDouble bogey on final hole sees Rory McIlroy slip shot off the pace in Dubai
The round one leader is a shot behind Ryder Cup team-mate Shane Lowry, England’s Sam Horsfield and American John Catlin.
-
European TourI’m on the right path – Rory McIlroy excited about road to next majors challenge
McIlroy is now a combined 148 under par in the £6.6million season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
-
European TourOpen champion Collin Morikawa determined to take chances in Race to Dubai bid
Morikawa had the chance to top the Order of Merit by winning last year’s DP World Tour Championship.
-
European TourRory McIlroy unlikely to change schedule despite new-look European Tour
The European Tour will be known as the DP World Tour from the 2022 season but Florida-based McIlroy will continue to focus on the PGA Tour.
-
European TourPunter’s pointers at the DP World Tour Championship: Course and desert specialists to the fore
It’s the final week of the 2021 European Tour season and the best 50 players of the season are convening at Jumeirah’s Earth Course.
-
European TourJB Hansen wins AVIV Dubai Championship to claim second European Tour title
The Dane finished a shot clear of Italy’s Francesco Laporta and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.