The last thing Adrián Otaegui (PAR) did this Friday at the PGA Championship was to hit a great shot at hole 15. He had just over 150 meters to the flag and left it one meter away for a birdie. Sublime. He didn’t even want to take the putt. The suspension horn for lack of light sounded just as he was reading the green’s fall and he preferred to mark the ball. Smart decision. The putt is straightforward, but it will be even more so this Saturday, with the greens freshly cut first thing in the morning, from seven fifteen local time, when play will resume.
If he sinks that putt, Otaegui will make the cut. Everything points to the final cut being one under par, although there is still a remote chance that it could be -2. It’s not a penalty, but almost. It’s in his hands that the Armada doesn’t go blank in this PGA, that at least one of ours plays the weekend.
The round has not been easy for Adrián. He choked at the start, like on Thursday, with two bogeys at holes 3 and 5, both with fairly discreet shots to the green missed on the right. At 6 he made a good par and at 7, par 5, he struggled again, sinking a four and a half meter putt for par after a bunker shot. From there, Otaegui said enough, no more suffering and brought out his best version, the safest, the most efficient. The most Otaegui.
He played by the book from tee to green, always in position and linking fairly comfortable pars one after another until hole 13. He knew he needed one more change of pace to make the cut, but above all he was clear that he was going to leave the option until the end, that the key was not to get out of wheel by taking unnecessary risks. If a medium or long distance putt went in, perfect. In the meantime, it was about securing pars while waiting for the perfect distance to attack…
That happened at hole 15, just after saving a very delicate par at the tough par 3 of 14, sinking an excellent putt of about three meters. This Saturday he will start the round with a one meter putt for birdie. His shot to the green is the best way to go to sleep and tomorrow’s putt, if he sinks it, will be the ideal alarm clock.
However, afterwards he has to hold at least that one under par, although he still has the ace up his sleeve of hole 18, one of the ones giving the most birdies this week. And even eagles, like Tommy Fleetwood‘s, with the sun also setting over Valhalla, to reach -1 and give himself a great chance of making the cut.
