Scott Verplank shot his second straight eight-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead on Friday in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disney, the final official US PGA Tour event of the season.
Steve Marino (66) and Troy Matteson (68) were tied for second, but the real drama was at the bottom of the standings.
Friday was cut day in the event that ends the race for spots in the top 125 on the final money list, the cutoff for full 2009 PGA Tour cards.
PHOTO: AFP
Brad Adamonis, who birdied the last hole to finish 1 under but missed the cut, said: “I probably won’t look at the standings until the tournament is over. At least that’s my plan. I’d probably throw up if I did.”
Whether he comes in at 125 depends on what happens this weekend with the players behind him who made the cut at five under.
Bob Tway, who played with Verplank and shot a 62 after a first-round 73, made the cut and needs to finish in the top 12 to make the top 125. Tway, ranked 131st, and Verplank combined for 20 birdies on the Palm Course on Friday.
Erik Compton, who’s had two heart transplants and got a sponsor exemption, shot a 68 and made the cut by two strokes. He’ll play in the second round of Q-school next week, only six months after his second transplant.
Tway still holds the course record of 61 at the Lake Buena Vista course, where the tournament was formerly held.
Verplank, who sank a 60-foot putt on 14 for an eagle 3, has suddenly found his putting stroke and hinted his round could have been better in what he called perfect playing conditions.
“I stayed out too late at the parks last night with my kids, so I was a little lethargic when we started,” said Verplank, who has made a tournament-record 13 straight cuts. “My equilibrium was off, and then something happened where I fell into a zone and didn’t know where I was.”
Some of the players who lose their cards will go back to Q-school. Mike Allen, who has made it through nine Q-schools, shot a 67 to make the cut at 137. He feels confident about his chances, and with the experience of 13 trips to the final round of the Q-school, he’s not easily fazed.
Allen, whose friend at Mesa Country Club in Arizona placed a sign on his locker proclaiming Allen “the Q-school all-time money winner,” said he could relax a bit now that he made the cut.
“Otherwise I was toast,” Allen said.
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
TO FINAL FOUR: France had 22 chances and scored two goals, while Croatia could not manage a single shot on target in 120 minutes. Les Bleus won 5-4 on penalties France on Sunday overturned a two-goal deficit to qualify for the UEFA Nations League Final Four by eliminating Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 2-0 victory in their quarter-final second leg at the Stade de France. Dayot Upamecano scored the winning spot kick in a nail-biting shootout in which France keeper Mike Maignan made two saves, sending Les Bleus into the semi-finals against Spain. Michael Olise opened the scoring and Ousmane Dembele doubled their lead 10 minutes from time to send the tie into extra time after their 2-0 loss in Split, Croatia, on Thursday. France had a total of
BRING THE NOISE: Brazil’s Fonseca attracted a boisterous crowd that brought such dominant soccer-style energy the referee switched to Portuguese to ask for quiet Australia’s Alex de Minaur on Monday put an end to Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca’s challenge at the Miami Open, outlasting the 18-year-old 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 in an enthralling contest. Attendance on stadium court had been sparse throughout the day, but the Hard Rock Stadium turned into a mini-Maracana Stadium for Fonseca’s match, complete with Brazilian flags and soccer-style chanting. Fonseca brought his energetic brand of ultra-attacking tennis, but De Minaur was up to the challenge, coping with blistering forehands and a partisan crowd. Such was the dominance of Fonseca’s raucous support that the referee switched to Portuguese for his appeals for quiet. However, De
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
RSS