McIlroy throws 3-wood into the water; Choi leads Ally in Grand Blanc
Colorado Springs, CO. – Rory McIlroy’s tee shot on the par 5 17th hole at Castle Pines landed in the rough. His 3 wood landed in the water.
That summed up the day and the PGA Tour postseason for McIlroy. On Friday, he shot a par on the hole at the BMW Championship for a 1-under 71, which put him 10 shots behind the leader.
For a club throw, that was pretty harmless.
McIlroy, who was coming off a three-putt bogey on the 16th hole, hit his drive into the right rough and then casually hurled his 3-wood to the left. It bounced once and landed in the water. He walked to the edge of the water, reached down and retrieved it.
It was much worse at a 2015 World Golf Championship at Doral. McIlroy hit a 3-iron into the water and then threw the club into the middle of the lake. It took him 13 clubs to get the rest of the way. Former President Donald Trump, who owns Doral, hired divers to recover the club.
Choi shoots 66 at Ally Challenge
KJ Choi opened with a bogey-free 66 to take the lead in the first round of the Champions Tour’s Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc on Friday.
Choi, 54, is seeking his second victory in four starts (winner of the Senior Open Championship) and was able to match his lowest 18-hole score of the season, having already shot 66 four times this year.
He is trying to become the fifth multiple winner of the season, alongside Ernie Els (3), Stephen Ames (3), Richard Bland (2) and Padraig Harrington (2).
Four golfers are one stroke back, including Stewart Cink, who shot a five-under-par 67. Cink has four top-10 finishes in just six starts this year. His best finish at Warwick Hills was fifth in the 2004 Buick Open.
Scott leads the FedEx Cup final
Adam Scott kept making birdies and changing his season forecast until he posted his lowest score of the year at the BMW Championship on Friday: a 9-under-par 63 that gave him a three-stroke lead entering the weekend.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley did his best to stay within reach until he made his first bogey of the week on the 18th hole at Castle Pines. He still had a 68 and was in a good position.
For Scott, 44, who first played at Castle Pines as a 20-year-old on a sponsor exemption, it was his first regular PGA Tour event. He had a certain freedom he hadn’t felt all year. He is ranked in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup, which means he can play in all $20 million events next year without having to rely on sponsor exemptions. That was a huge relief.
The lead after 36 holes is a bargain. A top result would bring him back to East Lake for the Tour Championship and guarantee him participation in all majors next year.
“When I left the range, I just wanted to keep going in the right direction, grind through, play under par and keep going like that,” he said. “Then, halfway through the round, I started thinking about how many birdies I could make. It’s funny how things like that happen.”
“I feel like I really have nothing to lose this week,” he said. “I can’t get out of the top 50. I’ll have a good schedule for the major events next year. Of course I’d like to make it to East Lake. But right now I’d like to win this event.”
Scott continues to look ahead, benefiting from good iron play and exceptional putting. Only three of his nine birdies were under 10 feet and he was in trouble only once, on the par-3 4th hole. He hit a great flop shot to 6 feet and saved par.
Scott played so well that he was tempted to go for the pin on the 18th hole and shoot a 62.
“Ten under par sounded nice,” he said. “But the old sage told me to aim a little to the left and see if I could hole a long putt. It’s fun to play a low round. I can’t remember the last time I shot 63 here.”
Women’s British Open
Nelly Korda seems to have returned to her dominant form in the home of golf.
The top-ranked American also braved the stormier conditions at St. Andrews to shoot a bogey-free 4-under-par 68 in the second round on Friday to take a three-shot lead in the Women’s British Open.
Korda won the first women’s major tournament of 2024 – the Chevron Championship in April – and is on track to win the last one as well. She has also won five other titles in a year that has cemented her status as the best player in women’s tennis, even if she has lost her top form in recent months.
Worse for Korda’s rivals is that she is also warming to links golf.
“I’ve won this year in general on so many different types of grass and in so many different conditions that you always have to adapt,” said Korda, who finished the tournament at 8 under par. “It’s the same in tennis, it’s the same in life.”
“You’re always adapting to the situation and I think that’s what makes links golf so fun – you literally start 30 yards to the left of your target and I’m not a fader player but I hit massive fades. I think it’s fun to hit those little low drivers too. I have fun and I enjoy links golf a lot.”
Korda played her first two rounds with defending champion Lilia Vu and England’s Charley Hull, a crowd favorite competing in her home major, and the star group lived up to expectations.
Hull, who had led the previous night by one stroke after a first round of 67, shot even par and was tied for second place at 5 under par with Vu, who shot 70.
On a day when the wind was not quite as brutal as the first, they lost to Korda, but Hull went into the weekend optimistic.
“Only three shots behind – that’s nothing for the weekend, especially on this golf course,” said 10th-seeded Hull, who is seeking her first major title. “I missed a lot of putts. I think Nelly had 30 putts and I had 36 putts. So that’s six putts I lost on the green against her.”
