McIlroy misses the cut before US Open, Champ leads
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open.
McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies.
"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.
"Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."
At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
"Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee."
Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
"It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday."
The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.
"I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said.
Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.
"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes."
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65).
Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open.
McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies.
"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.
"Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."
At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
"Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee."
Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
"It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday."
The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.
"I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said.
Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.
"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes."
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65).
Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open.
McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies.
"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.
"Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."
At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
"Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee."
Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
"It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday."
The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.
"I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said.
Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.
"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes."
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65).
Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
Masters champion Rory McIlroy has tumbled out of the Canadian Open with his worst round in nearly a year, with Cameron Champ taking a two-stroke lead into the weekend in the final event before the US Open.
McIlroy shot an eight-over 78, making a mess of the fifth hole with a quadruple-bogey eight in his highest score since also shooting 78 last year in the first round of the British Open. He had a double bogey on No.11, four bogeys and two birdies.
"Of course it concerns me," McIlroy said. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.
"Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't."
At nine over, the two-time Canadian Open winner was 21 strokes behind Champ on the rain-softened North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley.
"Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways," McIlroy said. "Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee."
Champ had four birdies in a 68 in the morning a day after opening with a 62. He was at 12 under, playing the first 36 holes without a bogey.
"It's firmed up a little bit, but fairly similar to yesterday," Champ said. "The fairways I feel like were firming up a little bit. The greens slightly, but pretty close to how they were yesterday."
The three-time PGA Tour winner got one of the last spots in the field after being the eighth alternate Friday when the commitments closed.
"I definitely didn't think I was getting in," Champ said.
Andrew Putnam was second after a bogey-free 62 on the course hosting the event for the first time. He won the 2018 Barracuda Championship for his lone tour title.
"I hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of good iron shots, too, and my putter was on fire," Putnam said. "Pretty much did everything right. Didn't really make many mistakes."
Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen, tied for the first-round lead with Cristobal Del Solar after a 61, had a 70 and dropped into a tie for third at nine under with Canadians Richard Lee (64) and Nick Taylor (65), and France's Victor Perez (65).
Del Solar was eight under after a 71. Shane Lowry (68) also was eight under with Ryan Fox (66), Jake Knapp (69), Sam Burns (66) and Matteo Manassero (65).
None of the Australian trio, Harryson Endycott (two-under) and Aaron Baddeley and Karl Vilips (both two over), made the three-under cut.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Harrington takes US Senior Open after Hensby falters
Padraig Harrington has come out on top of a major championship that felt more like match play, closing his final with seven straight pars at the US Senior Open to top Stewart Cink by one shot. But there was disappointment for Australia's Mark Hensby, who had started the day as co-leader with Harrington and Cink. He had hoped to mark his 54th birthday in style but could not conjure any of the magic that led to 19 birdies over the first three days and a share of the lead. Aiming to become just the second Aussie to win the event after Graham Marsh in 1997 and the first to win a senior major championship since Stewart Ginn at the 2002 Senior Players Championship, he only made two birdies on Sunday. He shot a three-over 73 to tie for fourth at five under with Thomas Bjorn. Playing alongside Cink for the fourth straight day, Harrington shot a three-under 67 to finish on an 11-under 269 on the tricky, heavily sloping Broadmoor course. The Irishman sealed the match by hitting his approach to eight feet on No.18, putting pressure on Cink, who trailed by one but sat 30 yards in front of him on the fairway. Cink's approach landed on the precipice of a ledge, but spun backward and did not come to rest until it was 35 feet away to set up a two-putt. That made it advantage Harrington, who also two-putted to win his second US Open title in four years, adding that to a trophy case that also includes the 2007 and '08 British Opens and the 2008 PGA. The only player who threatened to get in the mix in this two-man show was Miguel Angel Jimenez. After opening with bogey, Jimenez made eight birdies to pull within a shot of the lead. But he yanked his tee shot well left on No.18, had to punch out and made bogey. He still shot the best round of the tournament, a six-under 64, and finished in third, two shots back. Of the other Aussies, Cameron Percy finished joint ninth, Scott Hend was equal 16th, Greg Chalmers shared 18th while Steve Allan and Rod Pampling tied for 22nd. Stuart Appleby finished joint 32nd, with Richard Green 45th.
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
De Minaur was heartbroken after injury cost him a year ago, but he could be set for another shot at Djokovic
Another revealing insight into de Minaur's mindset followed when he was asked after the Lehecka loss if he was mentally and physically OK. 'Yeah, that's a good question. I'm not too sure,' he said. '[This] obviously wasn't the kind of result I was hoping for, coming here to Queen's. Skipping the first week [was] so that I would give myself time and be able to hopefully have a good result here and be happy with that decision. But obviously, it wasn't a good day today. 'So, back to the drawing board, and we're going to have to make some decisions.' Loading De Minaur's decision not to compete in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands cost him his top-10 ranking, and he will be the No.11 seed at Wimbledon. He rose to a career-high No.6 after his quarter-final run in London last year. De Minaur will face a higher-ranked opponent in the round of 16 if the seedings hold, but he believes he made the right call to briefly step away. 'The way I looked at it – and what is healthy for me – is to stop obsessing about rankings, and whether I go up or go down every week,' he said. '[I want to] try to go back to a place where I'm just enjoying playing tennis and not thinking about all those outside factors because it just gives added stress. 'I've got to start having a little bit more of a mentality of a big player and start backing myself to not have to play so many tournaments, and to hopefully do well in the big events. 'Mentally, I do feel I'm in the right spot, and even if it doesn't bring results this week, I'm confident that it will help me in the long run.' De Minaur's breakthrough Wimbledon performance last year will bring with it some anguished memories of their own. He breezed through the first four rounds to make the last eight for the first time, but a freak hip injury sustained on the third-last point of his round-of-16 win over Arthur Fils stopped him from facing Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. De Minaur put on a brave face after the Fils victory, but withdrew after barely being able to practise on the day he was due to take on Djokovic in what would have been the biggest match of his life. He was never the same player for the remainder of last year after that setback, which cruelly interrupted a campaign that had him racing towards a potential top-five ranking. Loading Even so, a clearly hampered de Minaur still battled his way to the US Open quarter-finals and achieved the same feat for the first time at the Australian Open in January. His Roland-Garros defeat to Alexander Bublik snapped his streak of grand slam quarter-finals at four, but he has mostly saved his best for the majors in the past 18 months. Meanwhile, Bublik made the last eight in Paris before winning last week's Halle title, so that loss looks nowhere near as bad in hindsight. It all adds up to a great unknown about de Minaur's Wimbledon prospects. He may never have been considered a title contender, but is one of the world's best grasscourters across several years. He has made a career out of proving others wrong. The difference now is his success in the next fortnight could be determined instead by whether he can beat the self-doubts his public comments suggest he is fighting. Demon's date with destiny The match that never happened at Wimbledon last year could get a reboot in the fourth round 12 months later. De Minaur, the figurehead of Australia's largest main draw singles contingent, is on a collision course with seven-time champion Djokovic in the fourth round, a year after withdrawing on the day of their blockbuster quarter-final due to a hip injury. The world No.11 is one of 17 Australians competing in singles thanks to Alex Bolt – for the second straight year – Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson and James McCabe battling through qualifying. Hon and Gibson both staved off match points to book their place at the All England club, which was extra special for the former, given it was her seventh attempt. De Minaur will first need to negotiate Spanish veteran Roberto Carballes Baena, who has won only one match in six trips at the grasscourt major. Fellow Australian Adam Walton is a potential second-round opponent if he can overcome French qualifier Arthur Cazaux. De Minaur's projected third-round opponent is No.21 seed Tomas Machac, a talented Czech player. Alexei Popyrin, the No.20 seed, also has a soft start on paper, up against 465th-ranked British wildcard Arthur Fery. Jordan Thompson landed in the same section and begins with Czech Vit Kopriva before a likely clash against ninth-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev. The toughest draw went to Bolt, who will need to beat American 10th seed and fellow big-serving left-hander Ben Shelton to make the second round for the first time since 2021. Fellow qualifier McCabe drew Hungarian Fabian Marozsan, Aleks Vukic faces Taiwan's Tseng Chun-hsin, Rinky Hijikata starts with Belgian David Goffin, and Chris O'Connell meets tricky Frenchman Adrian Mannarino, who made it through qualifying. On the women's side, 16th-seeded Daria Kasatkina's first opponent in her second grand slam as an Australian is Colombian Emiliana Arango. However, three of her compatriots have tough starts against seeded rivals, including the in-form Maya Joint. Joint, who will take on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the Eastbourne semi-finals as she bids to be Australia's first finalist there in 32 years, will lock horns with 19th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova at Wimbledon. Hon and Kim Birrell meet No.18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and 22nd-seeded Croatian Donna Vekic, respectively, while qualifier Gibson will go head-to-head with four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka in her Wimbledon debut. Elsewhere, Olivia Gadecki drew Belgium's Greet Minnen, and dual Wimbledon quarter-finalist Ajla Tomljanovic has been pitted against Pavlyuchenkova in a difficult encounter for both players.
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
PGA Tour's youngest player getting it done in Detroit
Aldrich Potgieter, standing on the practice green at Detroit Golf Club, said the most challenging part of his life was moving to Australia when he was eight and returning to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. Potgieter is about to face another test. The PGA Tour's youngest player and biggest hitter is going into the final round of the Rocket Classic with a two-shot lead, hoping to hold off a pack of players, including Collin Morikawa, for his first victory on the circuit. "The leaderboard's so stacked," Potgieter said after he had five straight birdies in a seven-under 65 to surge into the lead at 19 under on Saturday. The 20-year-old tour rookie started the week averaging 326.6 yards off the tee — several yards longer than Rory McIlroy — and credits his multi-sport childhood. "I played a lot of sports, rugby, wrestling," Potgieter said. "Kind of did everything as a kid. Didn't just focus on golf, so that kind of helped me build that strong foundation." Max Greyserman (66), Jake Knapp (66), Mark Hubbard (67), Andrew Putnam (67) and Chris Kirk (69) were two shots back, while three more players were another stroke behind. Morikawa, the highest-ranked player in the field at world No.5, shot a 68 to start the final round four shots adrift. "Look, I know what's at stake," said the two-time major champion, who has not won on the tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. "I want to find a way to get it done." In a nod to his native country, Potgieter's white golf shoes have the South Africa flag on the outside of his heels. He won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Aussie Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. While playing one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, it will likely be challenging for the world's 123rd-ranked player to hold off the competition. Potgieter opened with a birdie and at the 372-yard, par-4 eighth hole, he pulled out his driver and sent the ball over towering trees and through the green before it finally rested in the rough. He went on to make an 11-foot putt for his fifth straight birdie and sixth of the afternoon to help him shoot a 30 on the front nine. He cooled off on the back nine with a birdie at 13 before closing with five straight pars. "That front nine really helped me to get through," Potgieter said. "A lot of par saves on this back nine." Min Woo Lee (68) is the best-placed Australian at 12 under, while Harrison Endycott (78) is five under. With AAP. Aldrich Potgieter, standing on the practice green at Detroit Golf Club, said the most challenging part of his life was moving to Australia when he was eight and returning to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. Potgieter is about to face another test. The PGA Tour's youngest player and biggest hitter is going into the final round of the Rocket Classic with a two-shot lead, hoping to hold off a pack of players, including Collin Morikawa, for his first victory on the circuit. "The leaderboard's so stacked," Potgieter said after he had five straight birdies in a seven-under 65 to surge into the lead at 19 under on Saturday. The 20-year-old tour rookie started the week averaging 326.6 yards off the tee — several yards longer than Rory McIlroy — and credits his multi-sport childhood. "I played a lot of sports, rugby, wrestling," Potgieter said. "Kind of did everything as a kid. Didn't just focus on golf, so that kind of helped me build that strong foundation." Max Greyserman (66), Jake Knapp (66), Mark Hubbard (67), Andrew Putnam (67) and Chris Kirk (69) were two shots back, while three more players were another stroke behind. Morikawa, the highest-ranked player in the field at world No.5, shot a 68 to start the final round four shots adrift. "Look, I know what's at stake," said the two-time major champion, who has not won on the tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. "I want to find a way to get it done." In a nod to his native country, Potgieter's white golf shoes have the South Africa flag on the outside of his heels. He won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Aussie Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. While playing one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, it will likely be challenging for the world's 123rd-ranked player to hold off the competition. Potgieter opened with a birdie and at the 372-yard, par-4 eighth hole, he pulled out his driver and sent the ball over towering trees and through the green before it finally rested in the rough. He went on to make an 11-foot putt for his fifth straight birdie and sixth of the afternoon to help him shoot a 30 on the front nine. He cooled off on the back nine with a birdie at 13 before closing with five straight pars. "That front nine really helped me to get through," Potgieter said. "A lot of par saves on this back nine." Min Woo Lee (68) is the best-placed Australian at 12 under, while Harrison Endycott (78) is five under. With AAP. Aldrich Potgieter, standing on the practice green at Detroit Golf Club, said the most challenging part of his life was moving to Australia when he was eight and returning to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. Potgieter is about to face another test. The PGA Tour's youngest player and biggest hitter is going into the final round of the Rocket Classic with a two-shot lead, hoping to hold off a pack of players, including Collin Morikawa, for his first victory on the circuit. "The leaderboard's so stacked," Potgieter said after he had five straight birdies in a seven-under 65 to surge into the lead at 19 under on Saturday. The 20-year-old tour rookie started the week averaging 326.6 yards off the tee — several yards longer than Rory McIlroy — and credits his multi-sport childhood. "I played a lot of sports, rugby, wrestling," Potgieter said. "Kind of did everything as a kid. Didn't just focus on golf, so that kind of helped me build that strong foundation." Max Greyserman (66), Jake Knapp (66), Mark Hubbard (67), Andrew Putnam (67) and Chris Kirk (69) were two shots back, while three more players were another stroke behind. Morikawa, the highest-ranked player in the field at world No.5, shot a 68 to start the final round four shots adrift. "Look, I know what's at stake," said the two-time major champion, who has not won on the tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. "I want to find a way to get it done." In a nod to his native country, Potgieter's white golf shoes have the South Africa flag on the outside of his heels. He won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Aussie Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. While playing one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, it will likely be challenging for the world's 123rd-ranked player to hold off the competition. Potgieter opened with a birdie and at the 372-yard, par-4 eighth hole, he pulled out his driver and sent the ball over towering trees and through the green before it finally rested in the rough. He went on to make an 11-foot putt for his fifth straight birdie and sixth of the afternoon to help him shoot a 30 on the front nine. He cooled off on the back nine with a birdie at 13 before closing with five straight pars. "That front nine really helped me to get through," Potgieter said. "A lot of par saves on this back nine." Min Woo Lee (68) is the best-placed Australian at 12 under, while Harrison Endycott (78) is five under. With AAP. Aldrich Potgieter, standing on the practice green at Detroit Golf Club, said the most challenging part of his life was moving to Australia when he was eight and returning to South Africa at age 17 because the COVID-19 pandemic limited his opportunities to compete. Potgieter is about to face another test. The PGA Tour's youngest player and biggest hitter is going into the final round of the Rocket Classic with a two-shot lead, hoping to hold off a pack of players, including Collin Morikawa, for his first victory on the circuit. "The leaderboard's so stacked," Potgieter said after he had five straight birdies in a seven-under 65 to surge into the lead at 19 under on Saturday. The 20-year-old tour rookie started the week averaging 326.6 yards off the tee — several yards longer than Rory McIlroy — and credits his multi-sport childhood. "I played a lot of sports, rugby, wrestling," Potgieter said. "Kind of did everything as a kid. Didn't just focus on golf, so that kind of helped me build that strong foundation." Max Greyserman (66), Jake Knapp (66), Mark Hubbard (67), Andrew Putnam (67) and Chris Kirk (69) were two shots back, while three more players were another stroke behind. Morikawa, the highest-ranked player in the field at world No.5, shot a 68 to start the final round four shots adrift. "Look, I know what's at stake," said the two-time major champion, who has not won on the tour since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan. "I want to find a way to get it done." In a nod to his native country, Potgieter's white golf shoes have the South Africa flag on the outside of his heels. He won the British Amateur at the age of 17 and became the youngest Korn Ferry Tour winner last year, paving the way for him to become the second-youngest player to earn a PGA Tour card through the minor league just after his 20th birthday. The youngest was Aussie Jason Day, who was 19 in 2007. While playing one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour, it will likely be challenging for the world's 123rd-ranked player to hold off the competition. Potgieter opened with a birdie and at the 372-yard, par-4 eighth hole, he pulled out his driver and sent the ball over towering trees and through the green before it finally rested in the rough. He went on to make an 11-foot putt for his fifth straight birdie and sixth of the afternoon to help him shoot a 30 on the front nine. He cooled off on the back nine with a birdie at 13 before closing with five straight pars. "That front nine really helped me to get through," Potgieter said. "A lot of par saves on this back nine." Min Woo Lee (68) is the best-placed Australian at 12 under, while Harrison Endycott (78) is five under. With AAP.
