Glover’s Pair of 64s Leads Web.com Tour Championship; The Six Players IN/OUT of FINALS Top 25!
The Web.com TOUR Championship- the finale of the FINALS!
A pair of 7-birdie, bogey-free rounds of 64 to open for Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open Champion!
What happened to the U.S. Open Champion along the way?
A left knee injury in 2012 and a slump in 2015 after his 5-year exemption ran out brought the 3-time PGA TOUR winner back to the Web.com FINALS three years ago. He finished 14th and returned to the PGA TOUR.
In the 2015-16 season he had two Top-10s in 23 events, making nearly a million dollars and finishing No. 106 on the FedExCup Points Standing to retain his card. Even better in the 2016-17 season where he finished 3rd at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, T6 at THE PLAYERS Championship, and made nearly two million dollars and finishing No. 43.
But this year he played in only 18 PGA TOUR events, none since the U.S. Open due to knee surgery. Looks like the gutsy competitor is back healthy and in good form!
Atlantic Beach CC is the host venue for the Web.com Tour Championship!
Dennis McCarthy (64-65) is in second place one stroke behind Glover. He matched Glover’s 14 birdies but also had one bogey on the difficult par-4 16th hole today. McCarthy played on the PGA TOUR this year—22 events, one Top-10, made a half million dollars and finished No. 149. He is doing well in the FINALS with T5, T9, and T12 finishes and went from No. 11 to a projected 4th in the FINALS—pretty much a lock on a 2018-2019 PGA TOUR card.
On Friday Cameron Tringale followed a Thursday a 63 with a Friday 67, good enough for solo 3rd, two strokes back of Glover. The 2017 FINALS Graduate was also a FINALS pole vaulter this year going up 68 spots from T83 to T15. In 26 PGA TOUR events this year he had only one Top-25 and finished No. 195 in the FedExCup Points Standing. In the first three FINALS events he has gone CUT-T56-CUT so he needs a big week at Atlantic Beach CC.
Starting on the back nine on today, Tringale birdied his first hole and then added two more birdies before bogeying the 18th. But he bounced right back with a birdie on the first and then one more on the 4th hole. “Had a lot of good looks and none of them fell. Kind of wish I had a couple more chances out there, but I’m pleased with my position. I didn’t force this round, just kind of let it come,” commented Cameron after the round.
“Well, it’s why we’re here. It would mean a lot. It’s been a long year and I’m excited about golf for the first time in a while, to be honest. So that has kind of fueled my vigor this week and kept—has given me some perspective on just what this week is and really just to let it happen,” added Tringale.
Hard to follow up a good round with another good round?
Just ask Chris Paisley who shot a 10-under par 61 in Round One and a 3-over par 74 in Round Two. The last tee time on Thursday afternoon off No. 10 became the last tee time on Friday morning off No. 1. It was a flat front nine to start with a bogey on No. 2 and a birdie on No. 6, which was the only hole he did not birdie in a 4-out-of-5 birdie streak to finish on Thursday. But the 4-birdie, eagle to finish initial performance on the back nine at Atlantic Beach CC was not to be repeated. Instead of eagling the 18th he bogeyed it to finish off a 3-over 39 on the same back nine holes. A thirteen stroke differential for the round of a lone birdie and four bogeys!
Paisley falls back to T33 and a projected FINALS finish at No. 77, but with two more rounds to turn it around.
The CUT fell at 5-under with 66 players making the cut. Notable names to miss include Ricky Barnes, Aaron Baddeley, and defending champion Jonathon Byrd,
Tringale put it all in perspective with his final comment—“Yeah, I was hoping last year was my last time here.”
FINALS Top 25 Bubble Watch:
The six players that have moved INTO the FINALS Top 25 after Round Two relative to the start of the week are: Lucas Glover (64-64), Cameron Tringale (63-67), Sepp Straka (65-66), Ben Silverman (63-68), Matt Every (64-68), Ben Crane (64-69),
Chris Paisley (61-74 was in after Round One but now is at No. 77 and made the cut, playing the weekend and still has a chance to make the FINALS Top 25.
The corresponding six players that have moved OUT of the FINALS Top 25 after Round Two relative to the start of the week are: Jim Knous (67-69), Brian Campbell (69-68), Aaron Baddeley (68-67-CUT), Lanto Griffin (69-72-CUT), Scott Pinckney (71-71-CUT), and Joseph Bramlett (71-68-CUT).
Wes Roach (67-67) was out after Round One but now is the ‘Bubble Boy’ at No. 25.
Others near the ‘Bubble Boy’:
No. 20: Ben Crane (64-69)
No. 21: Dylan Frittelli (65-72)
No. 22: Sepp Straka (65-66)
No. 23: Ben Silverman (63-68)
No. 24: Michael Thompson (66-68)
No. 25: Wes Roach (67-67)
No. 26: Jim Knous (67-69)
No. 27: Justin Lower (68-66)
No. 28: Henrik Norlander (67-67)
No. 29: Brian Campbell (69-68)
No. 30: Aaron Baddeley (68-70-CUT)
Sure to be an exciting weekend at the 2018Web.com Tour Championship at Atlantic Beach CC!
Let’s see what happens tomorrow in Round Three!
