Max Kennedy took another step towards a $200,000 payday and earning a place on the 2024 LIV Golf League after he breezed into the second round of LIV Golf Promotions.
Kennedy carded a bogey-free round of 67 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club for a five-under total which was good enough for a share of third place after the opening round. Maynooth University’s Ryan Griffin (Rosapenna) did not make the top-20 cut and bowed out on five-over after a 77.
“I played well at the end of the round. I started out slowly enough,” said the Louisville student who will join an additional 13 players exempt into round two with the scores reset to par.
“But I didn’t get too ahead of myself. I stayed patient and I stayed with each shot, and it paid off in the end, making putts, and it felt really easy, so that was kind of nice.
“This is probably one of the biggest tournaments I’ve played in so far just because it’s a professional event and I’ve only played one other professional event, so the support has been amazing, and I’m grateful for that.”
Kennedy eased into the top-20 in round one and will need to play well again on Saturday if he is to make the top-20 cut at the end of round two and advance to the final 36-hole shootout on Sunday.
“Yeah, that’s something that affected me in the past, trying to make the cut and just trying to be average,” said the Royal Dublin amateur who opened with six straight pars but kickstarted his round with three birdies in four holes around the turn before adding further birdies on 13 and 18.
“But you can’t have that mindset in professional golf if you want to be at the pinnacle. You’ve got to think about winning each round. Especially in this event you’ve got to think of winning each round and sticking to your strategy and staying disciplined and patient. That’s all it takes.
“I think there’s less players tomorrow, so that might make it a little easier, but again, you’ve got to play good golf to get through. It’s not going to take anything but good golf. If you do that, you’ll be through to Sunday’s round.”
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