Thomas Detry (-12) is the leader of the WM Phoenix Open after the second round. The Belgian golfer is back on top, leading the way. Persistent in Belgian style. What merit. What determination. No matter how we look at it, he will end up winning. There’s no other way. Truly, no one deserves it more. And if he doesn’t, it should be investigated by the CIA as an X-File. This Friday, he scored 64 strokes, the best round of the day. In his usual style. One green after another, hitting the flags and well-assisted this time by the putter. We’ll see if tomorrow is a different story. Or on Sunday, when Detry struggles the most.
Detry has two strokes over Alex Smalley (-10), three over Tom Kim (-9), Jordan Spieth (-9), and Bezuidenhout (-9), and four over Taylor Moore (-8), Adam Hadwin (-8), Daniel Berger (-8), Justin Thomas (-8), and Keith Mitchell (-8). If you notice, they all follow the same pattern. They are very good golfers from tee to green, especially with irons. That’s the TPC Scottsdale.
Just one stroke behind is Scottie Scheffler (-7). Add the Jaws music, Spielberg’s, to the reading. That’s right. The World Number One has said, here I am. And that’s without sinking a single putt. It’s no exaggeration. In 36 holes, he has holed just one putt over three metres. Just one. It’s easy to say. He’s beyond the 100th position in the tournament’s putt average. It’s not hard to imagine that if Scottie starts sinking a couple of putts over the weekend… Watch out. He is already one of the favourites to win. He is the best in shots to green and today he solved the day with five birdies and no bogeys, 67 strokes, without doing anything extraordinary. Scheffler’s things. His boring golf. Ha!
The bad news on Friday was Josele Ballester (+4). The Spanish amateur golfer missed the cut. Tough day. He scored 75 strokes. No chance of making the cut. The lack of accuracy with the putter drove him crazy. Every bad shot cost him a bogey, and then he couldn’t capitalise on birdie opportunities. It’s impossible that way. He’s out of the tournament, but in two weeks, he’ll have a new opportunity. If he has shown anything at TPC Scottsdale, it’s that from tee to green, he’s among the best in the world. Yes, even today. However, around the green and with the putter, things didn’t go his way. Very far, for example, from the extraordinary level he showed at the US Amateur.
The other two news items from the second round in Scottsdale are that Jordan Spieth (-9) seems he wasn’t bluffing when he said he found something in the last round at Pebble Beach. Two almost consecutive eagles after great shots on the 13th and 15th propelled his round to a total of 66 strokes. Could it really be the return of the honorary president of the Club of the Spithosos? Similarly, Thomas remains on top and aims to be a factor over the weekend. Good news for the PGA Tour. On the other hand, the ‘camouflaged’ Rickie Fowler withdrew, and Thriston Lawrence, Max Homa, and Matthew Fitzpatrick are out, unable to lift their heads, or Billy Horschel.
