WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Jon Rahm took the lead on day two of the LIV Golf Greenbrier, but there was plenty of other interesting news, notes and stats from Saturday’s second round.
RELATED TOPICS: Rahm in position for second LIV Golf title; Ripper GC up by 4
RIPPERS WANT A BYE: Thanks to two team wins this season, Ripper GC started this week in third place in the team points standings. The all-Australian team would like to maintain that position as the top three teams after LIV Golf Chicago next month will receive a bye to the first round of the Dallas Team Championship the following week.
The Rippers put in a strong showing on Saturday, finishing 20 under par, the best performance of any team this season in the first two rounds, where three scores count. Ripper will go into Sunday’s final round with a one-shot lead over Smash GC, and a win would go a long way toward securing a bye.
“That was our goal at the start of the week, to get Dallas a top-three spot,” Marc Leishman said. “This week we have a chance to do that. Last year we were eliminated on Friday in Miami, so it would be nice not to have to play on Friday this year and take that out of the equation.”
Captain Cameron Smith added: “It’s definitely a win you want to get. It’s nice to start in the second round, nice to have another day of preparation and just another day of relaxation. Another day off does wonders. We’re all thinking about it. Hopefully we can go out there and get our third win.”
The Rippers also have a chance to win their first individual title this year. Lucas Herbert is in second place at 12 under par, and Leishman and Smith are both at 11 under par.
Leishman is playing for the first time since he had to pull out of the UK match because of emergency surgery for appendicitis. “Probably not quite 100%, but pretty close,” he said. “Still able to carry on. Just a little bit of pain at the end of the day. But that’s probably to be expected. Today is less than three weeks since the operation. I’ve been told I can’t do any damage, so I’m feeling good.”
Meanwhile, Smith would love to win his fourth LIV Golf title, especially since this is on his 31st birthday. He has never won a tournament on his birthday. When asked what the celebration might look like, he said: “If I’m honest, I think there will be a few drinks tomorrow night either way, but it would definitely make them taste a little bit better.”
BLAND’S PERSPECTIVE: Richard Bland, 51, of Cleeks GC has won both the Senior PGA Championship and the US Senior Open this season, but he said an individual title at LIV Golf on Sunday would be career-defining.
“I think you have to put that above all else, personally, just because of the level of players you’re playing against,” Bland said. “Of course, I don’t mean to downplay a senior major. Of course, it’s still a great achievement. But when you look at the leaderboard in front of you, it’s pretty crowded.”
“Yes, if you were at the top tomorrow, it would be career-defining for me.”
LIV GOLF’S FIRST ALBATROS: Brendan Steele of HyFlyers GC became the first player to record an albatross in a LIV golf tournament when he holed his second shot with a 4-wood from 265 yards on the par 5 17th hole. It is the furthest holed shot in LIV Golf history.
Steele said he did not see the ball roll into the hole, but knew from the reaction of the fans that he had holed the ball.
“We wanted to be aggressive, get the ball up there and have a chance to make a 3,” said Steele, who won LIV Golf Adelaide earlier this year. “It flew all the way back to the hole and landed really softly and just trickled in, I guess. Really cool. I wasn’t expecting that, of course.”
Steele followed with a birdie – and another 2 on his scorecard – on the par-3 18th hole, narrowly missing his tee shot. He finished at 4-under-par 66 and is currently tied for 20th place at 6-under par.
“It was a really good 10 minutes,” Steele said. “And now the guys are giving me a hard time because I’m only playing 4 under par. They’re saying, ‘You did that and only played 4 under par? No, that was good.’ Of course, that helps the score enormously and gives you momentum for the rest of the day.”
ROUND 2 – STATISTICS GUIDE
Driving accuracy: Henrik Stenson, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Matthew Wolff, average 361.1 yards.
Longest journey: Matthew Wolff, 389.5 yards, 17th hole
Greens in regulation: Lucas Herbert, 100% (18 of 18 greens)
Scramble: Sebastián Muñoz (4 of 4), Sergio Garcia (4 of 4), Mito Pereira (4 of 4), Louis Oosthuizen (4 of 4), Danny Lee (4 of 4), Joaquin Niemann (3 of 3), Tyrrell Hatton (3 of 3), Richard Bland (3 of 3), Carlos Ortiz (3 of 3), Bryson DeChambeau (2 of 2), Bubba Watson (2 of 2), Henrik Stenson (1 of 1), Andy Ogletree (1 of 1), 100%
Putt: Charles Howell III, 1.22 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Lucas Herbert (63), Sergio Garcia (63), Bubba Watson (63), Richard Bland (64), Carlos Ortiz (65), Mito Pereira (65), Bryson DeChambeau (65), Danny Lee (66), Louis Oosthuizen (66), Andy Ogletree (66), Tyrrell Hatton (67)