Graeme McDowell looks certain to miss the weekend cut at the the PGA Tour’s Mayakoba Golf Classic but will have to wait to learn his fate after play was suspended on Friday in Mexico.
It was a case of close but no cigar for the former US Open winner who carded a bogey, a birdie and 16 pars in his even par round of 71. At one-over par, he’s in a tie for 81st, two shots outside the projected cut mark with a number of players still to finish as darkness fell on Friday. It’s been a difficult few weeks for McDowell whose putter went cold at the Masters in an eventual share of 59th in Georgia before missing the halfway cut at the following week’s RSM Classic.
It’s back to the drawing board for GMac but not so for Emiliano Grillo who made birdie on half of the holes Friday on his way to an eight-under 63 and a four shot lead. The second round was delayed by one hour by heavy rain in the morning, and it was not completed before it was too dark to continue. No one was close enough to catch Grillo, who was at 13-under 130. It will be only the fifth time in 136 starts on the PGA Tour that he has a share of the lead after any round.
“Yeah, it’s all you can ask for,” said Grillo. “I did my work in the first few days, I think I’ve just got to keep doing the same work another two days, I’m pretty sure will get it done. It’s kind of hard to keep it this way for four days, so I’m just going to again just hit it from the fairway and try to hit it close again.”
Tony Finau one-putted six consecutive holes in the middle of his round, four of them par saves and none tap-ins, and posted a 66. He was at nine-under 133, along with Tom Hoge, who had a 67.
Justin Thomas was zooming into contention with five birdies and an eagle through 12 holes. His momentum stalled, however, particularly with bogeys on his last two holes. Thomas had to settle for a 67 and was nine shots behind. But he’s still playing, which won’t be the case for Rickie Fowler and Brooks Koepka.
Fowler was in position for an easy birdie on the par-5 13th hole when he sent a long iron well to the right into the trees for a lost ball. That led to bogey, and he dropped another shot on the 17th that led to a 1-over 72. The cut would not be made until Saturday, though Fowler looked certain to miss by one shot alongside McDowell.
With no events left this year, Fowler is likely to fall out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since 2010, his first full year on the PGA TOUR. He still is not eligible for the Masters next April, though he would have three months at the start of next year to either win or get into the top 50 by the end of March.
Koepka, coming off a pair of top 10s in the Houston Open and the Masters, had another 71 and finished at even-par 142. He was in reasonable shape until three-putting from about 8 feet on the par-5 fifth hole for a bogey, his 14th of the round. He made birdie on the par-3 eighth, but will miss by one shot.
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