Latest news with #Knowles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Philip Knowles soars with eagles to share Rocket Classic lead
Andrew Putnam of the United States plays his shot from the 12th tee during the second round of the Rocket Classic. PHOTO: AFP WASHINGTON – Philip Knowles said he was lucky with his three eagles, as he grabbed a share of the lead with Chris Kirk and Andrew Putnam after the second round of the PGA Tour's Rocket Classic on June 27. Knowles, ranked 519th in the world, fired an eight-under 64 to match Kirk and Putnam on 14-under 130 for 36 holes at Detroit Golf Club. 'I got pretty lucky a couple times,' he said. 'I hit quality shots that ended up going in the hole, but I can't imagine chipping in three times for eagle ever again in my life.' Back-nine starter Knowles, on a medical exemption after thumb and eye injuries the past two years, seeks his first PGA title after making the cut only twice in 11 prior starts this season. 'It has not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny,' he added. 'When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again, and when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf. 'So it was super rewarding.' Knowles made his first eagle at the par-five 17th, when he rolled in an 81-foot chip from the fringe. At the par-five fourth, he chipped in from the fairway from 37 yards and, three holes later on another par-five, he chipped in from the left rough from 40 yards. 'That was surreal,' he said. Putnam, who shot 66, birdied three of the first four holes then eagled the par-five seventh on an 88-foot chip-in from the fairway and got up and down from a bunker at 14 in his bogey-free round. 'It didn't feel like bogey free,' he said. 'It felt like I was kind of all over the place on the back nine, but the front nine was pretty simple golf. Wind came up, got a couple tricky holes out there, so glad I could grind it out.' Kirk fired a 65, opening with three consecutive birdies and closing with back-to-back birdies. 'Dream start for sure,' he said. 'Back nine was a little bit more hit and miss... But I was in a really good rhythm. Proud of the way I hung in there and kept hitting good shots.' Jackson Suber was fourth on 131 with Mark Hubbard, Michael Thorbjornsen and Aldrich Potgieter on 132. Jake Knapp fired a course-record 61 to stand on 133, breaking the mark of 62 set a day earlier by Kevin Roy and Potgieter. It was the second course record of the season by Knapp, who fired a 59 at PGA National in the Cognizant Classic. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Chris Kirk among trio in lead at Rocket Classic
Chris Kirk, Philip Knowles and Andrew Putnam share the lead after two rounds of the Rocket Classic, while the course record fell for the second straight day Friday at Detroit Golf Club. Knowles achieved the rare feat of making three eagles in a single round en route to an 8-under 64, and yet he was three shots behind the lowest round of the day. That belonged to Jake Knapp, who shot 123 spots up the leaderboard by following Thursday's even-par 72 with an 11-under 61. Kirk posted a 65 Friday and Putnam a 66 to join Knowles at 14-under-par 130 halfway through the tournament, one shot clear of fourth-place Jackson Suber (65). Aldrich Potgieter of South Africa (70), Mark Hubbard (69) and Michael Thorbjornsen (67) are tied for fifth at 12 under. Kirk made nine birdies Friday, including the first three holes and the final two, as he hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation. Of the three co-leaders, he's also the most established, with two of his six PGA Tour victories coming since 2023. "The last few days everything has been pretty solid," Kirk said. "You know, I've putted the ball pretty nice. Not making everything or anything like that, but definitely made some really good quality putts. Obviously hit a good many good iron and wedge shots to give myself some looks." Knowles has nowhere near the reputation of Kirk. He is ranked No. 519 in the world and is making his 27th start on the PGA Tour this week. Knowles started his round on the back nine, and his eagles came on three different par-5 holes: an 81-foot chip at No. 17, a 37-yard pitch-in at No. 4 and a 40-yard hole-out at No. 7. "You feel like you're standing on 17 tee, or my eighth hole, and you're at even par on the day and you just feel like you're behind the 8-ball at some level," Knowles said. "I hit that tee ball in the left rough, drew an OK lie and strategically we knew we had to miss it left of the hole and we were able to do that. I just kind of saw the line and you felt like, as I was standing there with that chip, I was very confident I was going to hit it close. I can't ever say I knew I was going to make it, but that one going in, felt like that was the catapult." Then there was Putnam, whose bogey-free day included one eagle, a chip-in at No. 7. He is still hunting for his second PGA Tour win to validate his first, the Barracuda Championship back in 2018. "Yeah, I'm playing well right now," Putnam said. "I don't know how any other week's going to go. Golf is such an interesting game, you take it when you get it so hopefully capitalize on feeling like I'm starting to play good." Knapp started his round on the back nine with three birdies and a 34-foot eagle putt. He kept it rolling with six birdies on the front nine, and he finished the day first in the field in strokes gained: putting. One day after Potgieter and Kevin Roy posted rounds of 62 to break the course record, Knapp took it for himself by making nine birdies and one eagle in a bogey-free round. "I'm definitely not afraid of shooting a low number," said Knapp, who shot a 59 earlier this year at the Cognizant Classic. "I feel like when I start making birdies, I want to make more. I was even kind of thinking about 59 (late in Friday's round)." Knapp is one of 15 players tied at 11 under, a logjam that also includes Roy (71), Collin Morikawa (64), Ben Griffin (67), Gary Woodland (66) and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (66). Scoring conditions in Detroit were so favorable for the first two days that the cut line fell at 6 under par. Wyndham Clark (4 under), Max Homa (3 under) and South Korea's Tom Kim (1 under) missed the cut, as well as defending champion Cam Davis of Australia (even par) and 2023 champ Rickie Fowler (2 under). — REUTERS
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Rocket Classic shaping up for underdogs vs favorites battle at Detroit Golf Club
DETROIT — Low scores have always ruled at the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, and it's clear the PGA Tour's 2025 tournament is no different. Three players are tied for the lead at 14-under-par 130 after two rounds: Chris Kirk, Philip Knowles and Andrew Putnam. One stroke behind them sits Jackson Suber, who birdied five straight holes on the front nine. Aldrich Potgieter, a big-hitting 20-year-old South African rookie, is tied for fifth at 12-under one day after shooting a then-course record 62 along with Kevin Roy, who squeaked out a 1-under round, tied for eighth at 11-under. Major winners Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama and Gary Woodland also lurk at 11 under par, along with two-time winner on Tour this season Ben Griffin. This tournament is often a battle of the underdogs, and especially given a number of prominent golfers failed to make the 6 under cut, this year will likely be no different. Here's who stood out in Round 2 on Friday entering a hot weekend in Detroit. Philip Knowles makes Rocket Classic history Knowles had the day's most improbable performance when he carded three eagles in his round, with all three coming from off the green. The three eagles had never been accomplished in any round in seven years of the Rocket, and is only the second time it has occurred this season on Tour. Chandler Phillips had three eagles during a round at the Players Championship in March. Knowles recorded the first eagle on 17, his eighth hole of the day, after bogeying 15 and 16. After a 300-yard drive and a 250-yard iron shot, Knowles chipped the ball in from the rough to the left of the hole. Chipping proved to be Knowles' superpower as the day went on. His second eagle, on the par-5 fourth, looked similar — a long drive and a wedge shot followed by an accurate chip-in from 38 yards out. By No. 7, where he recorded his third eagle, it seemed almost comical that a 20-yard wedge shot over a bunker would go in. Knowles wasn't even able to see the ball rolling into the cup because he was below the surface of the green, but no problem. 'All we were trying to do is get it up on the green somewhere and it should trickle out towards the hole, and I didn't see it go in,' Knowles said. 'I was walking up and you see my playing partners just start laughing and the crowd go crazy. That was surreal.' Knowles is still technically a rookie on the Tour despite graduating from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 due to a series of medical exemptions. He has suffered a severed nerve in thumb, a bout of mono and a recurring case of shingles that began in his right eye. He has only played in 16 events over two years, and has never played the Rocket. But this trip has been one to remember, particularly since his wife and two daughters are in Detroit to support him. 'Last night we get off the golf course and it's late and it's like, 'OK, where can we find food and get home and do bath and bedtime and get them down first?'' Knowles said. 'I walked in the house, it was an hour and a half before I even changed out of my golf clothes, and you don't think about it. But I love it and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm always grateful to have them around. I would never not want them to be here.' Jake Knapp shoots Detroit Golf Club course record Knapp broke the course record early Friday, a mark that stood for less than 24 hours. Knapp shot 11-under 61 after shooting an even-par 72 on Thursday, moving from tied for No. 120 to tied for eighth. He had three birdies and eagled No. 17 on his front nine, then birdied six holes on his back nine to finish bogey free. Andrew Putnam gets on a roll Putnam's run of success continued as he shot 66 to tie for the lead. His rise began Thursday with an 8-under 64, but he continued it with another an eagle on No. 7 and four birdies, though he had to struggle for it through windy conditions late in his afternoon round, shooting 1-under on the back nine. 'It didn't feel bogey free,' Putnam said. 'It felt like I was kind of all over the place on the back nine, but the front nine was pretty simple golf. The wind came up, got a couple tricky holes out there, so glad I could grind it out. Another good scoring day.' Min Woo Lee 'The Chef' does not cook 'Let him cook!' rang out across the golf course when teed off Friday after an inspiring first round of 9-under 63. Unfortunately, 'The Chef,' a name his fans have given him, did not cook. Instead, Lee shot 1-over-par 73, dropping him thirty-two spots to tied for 35th by Friday's end. A bogey on 18 ultimately did him in as he missed a short putt wide right. Lee still made the cut, but leaves him six shots back, an uninspiring second-round performance after he led for much of the first round.
France 24
7 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Knowles soars with eagles to share PGA Detroit lead
Knowles, ranked 519th in the world, fired an eight-under par 64 to match Kirk and Putnam on 14-under 130 for 36 holes at Detroit Golf Club. "I got pretty lucky a couple times," Knowles said. "I hit quality shots that ended up going in the hole, but I can't imagine chipping in three times for eagle ever again in my life." Back-nine starter Knowles, on a medical exemption after thumb and eye injuries the past two years, seeks his first PGA title after making the cut only twice in 11 prior starts this season. "It has not been my best year thus far by any stretch of the imagination, but golf is funny," Knowles said. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again, and when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf. "So it was super rewarding." Knowles made his first eagle came at the par-five 17th, when he rolled in an 81-foot chip from the fringe. At the par-five fourth, Knowles chipped in from the fairway from 37 yards and, three holes later on another par-five, he chipped in from the left rough from 40 holes. "That was surreal," he said. Putnam, who shot 66, birdied three of the first four holes then eagled the par-five seventh on an 88-foot chip-in from the fairway and got up and down from a bunker at 14 in his bogey-free round. "It didn't feel like bogey free," Putnam said. "It felt like I was kind of all over the place on the back nine, but the front nine was pretty simple golf. Wind came up, got a couple tricky holes out there, so glad I could grind it out." Kirk fired a 65, opening with three consecutive birdies and closing with back-to-back birdies. He seeks a seventh career PGA title and his first since last year's tournament of champions in Hawaii. "Dream start for sure," Kirk said. "Then was able to add a few more. Back nine was a little bit more hit and miss... But I was in a really good rhythm. Proud of the way I hung in there and kept hitting good shots." American Jackson Suber was fourth on 131 with countrymen Mark Hubbard and Michael Thorbjornsen and South African Aldrich Potgieter on 132. Jake Knapp fired a course-record 61 to stand on 133, his bogey-free round with nine birdies and an eagle breaking the mark of 62 set Thursday by fellow American Kevin Roy and Potgieter. It was the second course record of the season by Knapp, who fired a 59 at PGA National in the Cognizant Classic.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Resilience personified: Philip Knowles contending at Rocket Classic after 3 eagles Friday
Not one, not two, but three. That's how many hole-out eagles Philip Knowles had on his scorecard in Friday's second round of the 2025 Rocket Classic. And these weren't just your run-of-the-mill chip-ins, either. Knowles holed pitch shots from 40 yards, 37 yards and 27 yards to eagle three of the four par 5s at Detroit Golf Club — Nos. 4, 7 and 17. He also birdied the other one — No. 14 — to finish the day 7 under on the par 5s alone. He's the second player to make three eagles in a round on the PGA Tour this season. Chandler Phillips did it on Thursday at the Players Championship. "When you're playing bad, you never feel like you're going to play good again, and when you have days like today, you just don't understand how you could ever shoot a bad round of golf," Knowles said in his post-round presser Friday. "So, it was super rewarding. I got pretty lucky a couple times, I hit quality shots that ended up going in the hole, but I can't imagine chipping in three times for eagle ever again in my life." All of that culminated in an 8-under 64 in the second round for Knowles, who grabbed a share of the lead with Chris Kirk at 14 under early Friday afternoon. The 28-year-old from Florida fired a first-round 66 Thursday. Philip Knowles has had his share of adversity as a pro golfer Knowles hasn't made a cut on the PGA Tour since March and he only has one top-30 finish this season in 11 starts, which came at the Puerto Rico Open where he was T-16. But that could be chalked up to his recovery from an injury he suffered shortly after he'd graduated from the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022. "We're here in 2025 and I'm still playing out my rookie year starts playing on a medical [extension]. I got hurt that year early at Pebble, freak accident taking out the recycling, severed a nerve in my thumb so I didn't play much that year." His bad fortune didn't stop there. "In 2024 when I started to come back, I was actually on my way to Mexico for my first start on my medical [extension] and I broke out in shingles in my right eye. That persisted. I got on meds and then it came back, and I got off meds and it came back, and that happened four times over the next like six months." Or there. "Mixed in there as well I got a really bad case of mono at one point." Health issue after health issue derailed his PGA Tour career from the jump, but now, after two excellent rounds and a lot of highlight-reel shots at the Rocket Classic, Knowles suddenly finds himself at the top of the leaderboard in an event that features four of the top 20 players in the world. "We still don't know that we have the answer, and I still don't feel like I'm a hundred percent, but life goes on," Knowles said. "I've got two little girls, I've got a wife who needs me to help. It's not like I can spend my days just woe is me. "So today was — we laughed about it a little bit, me and my caddie. This felt like at least a little bit of the evening out of that law of averages. Not that I should expect to chip in for eagle multiple times." He must accrue enough FedEx Cup points in the starts left on his medical extension to keep his exemption status for the rest of the season. In order to keep it for 2026, he needs to finish inside the top 100 in the standings. Entering this week, he was 195th. "For me playing on a medical, it's kind of a unique position. I only have a handful of starts left, so kind of feels like every week is a big week and I feel like I've been playing with that burden for a lot of the year. "Though I haven't been in this position, I feel -- it doesn't feel unfamiliar. And to be here playing on the PGA Tour, you think you've never been in this position before, but we've all been in this position before at some level, be it college, junior golf, early professional golf, we've all been here." If Knowles — the world No. 519 — comes out victorious in Detroit, it would undoubtedly be one of the most unexpected wins on Tour in 2025. But no matter what happens, he has one thing he's certain he can look forward to: dad time. His wife and two young daughters are in Detroit with him this week. "[It's] the best," he said. "I mean, it's so much fun when you leave the golf course and it just becomes dad time. I mean, it's immediate. We go into lunch and all of a sudden you're sitting there trying to help a 2-year-old eat her lunch or not lose her mind, you know... But I love it and I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm always grateful to have them around. I would never not want them to be here."
