AVONDALE, La. — Tony Finau and Cameron Champ shot a Four-under 68 in alternate-shot play Friday for a share of the Zurich Traditional lead with the Norwegian duo of Viktor Hovland and Kris Ventura.
“I do know we’re having time with this format up up to now,” Finau stated concerning the lone group occasion on the PGA Tour. “We have each performed some actually strong golf, and we discover ourselves on the prime of the leaderboard.
“We’ll do what we have been doing the final couple days, which is take pleasure in one another’s firm and never add any bonus strain relating to teammate golf.”
Hovland and Ventura had a 69 to match Finau and Champ at 13-under 131. The groups will play finest ball Saturday, and shut with an alternate-shot spherical Sunday.
“Simply having enjoyable, and clearly we do not get to do that fairly often,” Ventura stated. “We’re taking part in some good golf, and the course we each like, so it is simply a kind of issues the place we’re snug taking part in out right here.”
It was an eventful day in windy circumstances on the TPC Louisiana, highlighted by two aces.
Nick Watney, the Zurich winner in 2007 when it was a standard particular person occasion, made a hole-in-one on the 14th gap from 224 yards.
Later, Northern Eire’s Graeme McDowell aced the 217-yard 17th, eliciting a roar from what is generally one of many rowdiest spectator areas on the course. McDowell then despatched a cooler loaded with cans of beer and wine to the media heart.
McDowell and Matt Wallace bogeyed 4 holes and shot 70, ok to make the minimize at eight beneath.
Watney and Charley Hoffman shot 74 to make the minimize at 6 beneath.
Hovland and Ventura, additionally tied for the lead after the primary spherical, birdied 5 holes. However they have been left to rue a double bogey on 16, when Hovland hit their method shot from a fairway bunker into the water quick and left of the inexperienced.
“It was my fault,” Ventura stated with fun. “We tried to hit the green with an iron (off of the tee) and I hit it in that bunker. I wasn’t the most effective teammate.”
Finau and Champ briefly surged to a two-shot lead after birdies on the par-Four 10th and the par-5 11th. However they bogeyed the par-Four 12th when Finau’s method fell wanting the best facet of the inexperienced.
However Finau made up for it with a birdie putt of almost 6 toes on 18.
“We knew at present with the wind and simply the format typically it was going to be a grind, and that is what we did, particularly coming down the final 9 holes,” Finau stated. “We simply form of grinded it out.”
Whereas attendance was not instantly launched, galleries following the leaders seemed appreciable. Festive followers appeared delighted to be again at an occasion canceled final 12 months by the coronavirus pandemic. Many didn’t put on masks, regardless of indicators across the course asking them to take action.
Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose birdied seven holes, together with the par-Three 17th with a 12-foot putt by Rose. However in addition they bogeyed three holes to shoot a four-under 68 that put them at 11 beneath and tied for third with Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler.
None of Rose’s and Stenson’s bogeys derailed them. They responded twice with birdies on the subsequent gap.
“An issue shared is an issue halved on this format for positive,” Rose stated. “However Henrik was a rock at present. I used to be form of it by way of I do not suppose he made one mistake that led to us dropping a shot actually. It was fairly enjoyable simply to have somebody that was so strong at present. He pulled his weight.”
Watson and Scheffler have been at 12 beneath after three straight birdies on Nos. 10, 11 and 12, however dropped strokes with bogeys on 15 and 17 earlier than ending with a birdie on Scheffler’s eight 1/2-foot putt.
Billy Horschel and Sam Burns have been a shot off the lead by means of 14 holes, however bogeyed 15 after which double-bogeyed the par-5 18th after Burns’ tee shot went within the water proper of the green and Horschel’s subsequent shot landed in a fairway bunker. They head to the third spherical tied for ninth at eight beneath.
Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith shot a 72 to stay at 9 beneath. Their first bogey got here after Leishman hit his drive on 13 into probably the most photogenic bushes on the course, an enormous, towering cypress with roots as excessive as Four toes protruding from the grass round it.
Smith could not get a swing on the ball in there and needed to take a drop. In addition they double-bogeyed the 17th after Leishman’s tee shot landed within the water left of the inexperienced.