Rahm, Morikawa Surge Up the Leaderboard on Day Two at The Open

0
Jon Rahm plays his shot from the 18th tee as Louis Oosthuizen looks on during Day Two of the 149th The Open Championship at Royal St. Georges Golf Club on July 16, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by Keyur Khamar for PGA TOUR via Getty Images)

They’re ranked Nos. 2 and 4 in the world, and on Friday they showed why, as Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa, respectively, fired low-round 64s to move into contention at the halfway point of the 149th Open Championship.

Rahm’s 64 was flawless featuring six birdies, including three straight gains on Nos. 13, 14 and 15 to settle at T12 on 5-under par.

“Great round. Very similar to yesterday tee-to-green,” said Rahm, who shot 1-over 71 on day one.

“Obviously yesterday we had a little bit more wind and I made some putts early on, and I think that was the key, right.

“The par putt on 5, just making par on 5 with how the hole went and making birdies on 6 and 7 really got me going.

“I got confidence and played really good golf on the last 14 holes.”

Morikawa’s co-low round, meanwhile, featured seven birdies, highlighted by four gains in a five-hole span (Nos. 8, 9, 11, and 12) to reach 9-under par, two off the lead of Louis Oosthuizen.

Collin Morikawa 149th Open Championship Royal St Georges
Collin Morikawa lines up a putt on the 18th hole during day two of The 149th Open at Royal St George’s Golf Club on July 16, 2021 in Sandwich, England. (Photo by David Cannon for R&A via Getty Images)

The 2020 PGA winner was pleased with his improvement from day one.

“Just sticking to what I’ve been doing,” said Morikawa. “Yesterday I thought I played really well. Just wasn’t hitting as many fairways. Was able to hit a few more fairways early on in the round today.

“When I’m in the fairway with a 9-iron or 8-iron I feel very comfortable.

“Not necessarily going straight at the pins but being aggressive with the lines I need to take and slopes you need to play.

“Yeah, sometimes you have those days where you’re very fortunate to have good numbers, and today was one of those days.”

Morikawa will be paired with Oosthuizen in Saturday’s third round, while Rahm will play with Cameron Tringale.

Where Morikawa and Rahm Stand After Day Two

Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 2)
1. Louis Oosthuizen -11 (-5)
2. Collin Morikawa -9 (-6)
12. Jon Rahm -5 (-6)

Advertisement

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your name here