On a historic day for Chilean golf, Pirque managed to end the day at -5 and eight under par overall, tracking down Will Zalatoris, who leads. Tomorrow, he will be in the star group of the second major of the year. Niemann, for his part, signed a -1 card and remained in the top positions.
Mito Pereira lived the most important day of his PGA career. He played an extraordinary trick and stormed into second place in the second major of the year. He did it in a stellar way, like he was a touring player decades ago. -8 on his card and a single hit from the tournament leader American Will Zalatoris.
He started on the 10th hole and made it clear that Friday’s round would be something special. He didn’t settle for a birdie, but he nailed back-to-back snaps on his first two flags of the day.
A momentum that he did not give up despite the bogey on the fifth hole (his only discount of the day), since he did not lose this stellar level at any time.
Among this constellation of stars that appeared on the Southern Hills course, Mito played his own game. Low profile, but world-class golf. From tee to perfect green and with putts . Everything was lined up and in the final nine, the golf world just had to give in to their game.
He made four birdies and reached -8 on his card , even managing to be in the lead for a long part of the day. Something unthinkable, for everyone but him, is that Mito turned out to be a special guy, a fighter and above all a great golfer.
And today was a milestone wherever you looked at it. It is the first time in the history of the Tour that a Chilean closes the second round of a major among the first three places . Something that gives him the privilege of going out in the stellar group this Saturday. This trio that attracts all the attention and paralyzes the world. Everyone will follow in his footsteps, everyone will have an opinion on his way of playing. He will be a leading actor, in the biggest movie on the planet.
Who took the lead at the end of the day was Will Zalatoris, the American who proves more and more each day that he will be a legend on the circuit. Winner of Rookie of the Year in the 2021 season, he scored an inning of 65 shots (one more than Mito) and nailed the lead at -9 . At 25, he is looking for his first PGA victory, even though he already knows what it means to fight for a major until the last round. Last year he finished second at the Augusta Masters.
Lights and shadows for Joaquín
Friday for Joaquín Niemann was one of the extremes. He lived in his own flesh what is a major and oscillated between moments of glory and others for oblivion. Specific closed the day with a hit on the pair still remaining with red numbers on his card, with a -1 which gives hope for the weekend.
If on Thursday he had come out among the last groups, this Friday was quite the opposite. Early in the morning, the Chilean managed to set off at a time of day when the gusts of wind had not yet tracked down those on the Southern Hills course. That’s why maybe These first holes were where Joaco was best seen.
In his first nine holes (he started at 10) he played with calm and superb shots, making almost all the reductions he signed on the day. Indeed after the birdies of 10 and 12 , assaulted the high positions of the table. Some he kept thanks to another birdie on the 17th, which left undamaged a bogey that had nailed two flags before.
But as he entered the second half of the lap, the wind hit. Have been nine holes where the talagantino could not before certain conditions who punished everyone who played in this section. Strong gusts, which moved the ball and punished the slightest miscalculation. He managed two birdies and five bogeys in this sequence, including three penalties in the last four holes.
That’s why he left hurt, upset. Without this final crash, the round would have been more than good. But it’s a major and there’s no advantage or help here. It’s a battle of planning, concentration and why not, a bit of luck. In any case, the panorama is not gray, on a day like this, being in the red is enough to make it to the weekend alive and with a chance . He will have to learn from the living and return to the field.
“From hole to hole my swing went downhill and I wasn’t quite sure how I reacted to the ball, I missed a few key shots but still felt like it could have been a lot more expensive he commented after closing his round on Friday.
Tipping is a long way off, but a lot can happen over the weekend. A major is never set until the final holes on Sunday and days like these can always happen. Niemann takes a look at Justin Thomas, Zalatoris, Rory McIlroy. Also to his friend and partner, Mito.
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Source: Latercera
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
