David ‘Mr. 57’ Carey has made it two from two at St. Andrews in brilliantly making the halfway cut at the Hero Open at the Fairmont Resort.
A fortnight after the assurance in playing four rounds on his majors debut on the Old Course at the 150th Open Championship and the Dubliner birdied the last on the Torrance Course with the assurance of a first pay cheque at his maiden DP World Tour start.
Carey was outside the six-under expected cut-off mark coming down the par-5 18th and played a poor second shot, well left of the fairway in ‘deep stuff, leaving him staring at a 78-yard third shot that he superbly landed to 10-feet, before delighting in holing the birdie ‘4’ putt.
His round of a five-under 67 saw the 26-year-old move inside the cut, at six-under-par and now the assurance of playing all four rounds in the Euro 1.75m event.
“I’m particularly happy with the putt there on 18 as I knew I needed to make the putt there on 18 to make the cut, so to deal with the pressure of that putt and to now make my first DP World Tour cut,” he said.
The Torrance course is proving a favourite for the Castleknock golfer who a month ago he topped the qualifiers to tee-up on the Old Course, and now Carey has also matched the 67 he shot on day two in golf’s oldest major with a second round similar score.
Though it’s not been all plain sailing since Carey’s maiden major appearance some six kilometres away from the Fairmont Resort at the famed Old Course.
“After The Open, I was in bed sick all last week, unable to practice”, he said. “So, it’s very satisfying to make the cut in my first DP World Tour event. Hopefully, I can push on now over the weekend. I haven’t been at 100% energy this week yet but I’m feeling better everyday!”
Of course, Carey’s career high-point currently is shooting the lowest ever score in a World Ranking event, a 57 on a par-68 layout in a 2019 Alps Tours event in Italy.
Niall Kearney picked up 22 spots in taking route 66, moving into a share of 15th at 10-under-par. The Royal Dublin pro was off to a steady start with five straight pars before putting the foot down with a hat-trick of birdies from the sixth hole. He dropped a shot on 10 but it was the overtaking lane coming home with four birdies in his closing eight holes.
“I knew I needed to go low and I executed it well”, said Kearney. “I had plenty of birdie putts and rolled it very well on the greens though I’m going to need a low one over the weekend, but with more wind forecast, I think it will still be low to mid 20’s under at the top”.
Fellow Irish Simon Thornton with scores of 69 and 71 along with Jonathan Caldwell, who shot rounds of 70 and 72, plus Paul Dunne signing for a 71 and 71 plus Ardglass Cormac Sharvin, and rounds of 75 and 71, have the weekend off.
American Sean Crocker maintains the lead adding a 66 to move one clear at 15-under and with two players – Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson and big-hitting Springbok lefty Wilco Nienabar sharing the honours in setting a new course record with 11-under 61s.
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