Round two of LIV Chicago event got underway at a windy Bolingbrook Golf Club on Saturday and both Irish men in the field will likely be disappointed with their showing.
Sitting in T42, 22-year-old Tom McKibbin couldn’t reverse his round one’s two-over-par score as the Belfast native finished one-over, taking him to three-over for the weekend and well out of contention.
It has been an inconsistent few days for McKibbin, and he began his round in a less-than-ideal fashion, with a double bogey on the par-4 first hole. Needing to score well, McKibbin couldn’t get any momentum as he traded birdies for bogeys heading into the final few holes.
Another double bogey on the par –4 16th summed up McKibbin’s tournament so far as the 22-year-old made five birdies in round two, but still finished one-over-par.
It was a different round but similar outcome for 2010 U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell as the 46-year-old really struggled for birdies, finishing his round two on four-over-par, putting him at five-over for the tournament.
Two bogeys on the first two holes set the tone for McDowell as the Portrush man couldn’t buy a birdie – adding two more bogeys to a stressful round for the major winner.
Round two saw plenty of changes at the top of the leaderboard as a six-under-par round sees South Africa’s Dean Burmester take a two-shot lead heading into the final round.
“I’ve done some good work with my putting coach this week and we just moved the ball position a little forward and it’s made a world of difference,” said the 36-year-old. “The level is high, and we’ve got to get out here and make some putts,” he added.
Five birdies and an eagle for Burmester really set the standard for the day and he now finds himself in a final grouping with Spaniards Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester on Sunday.
Rahm is tied with Ballester in T2 on seven-under-par and is seeking his first individual win of the year as he aims to overtake Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann in the individual standings going into next week’s regular-season finale in Indianapolis.
An eagle, followed by four birdies on the last seven holes for the Legion XIII captain put Rahm back into contention to defend his LIV Individual Champion Title after a very lacklustre front nine.
“Score-wise it’s almost a tale of two nines, but feeling wise felt great all day. Just very strong winds. Felt like it was 20 miles an hour plus the entire day nonstop, and then very firm fairways, firm greens, and they’re small. So, maneuvering those bounces you need a little bit of luck sometimes,” said the 30-year-old.
“The goal is to win, and by winning I’ll get the most amount of points I can possibly get and then I need a little luck on my side that Joaquín doesn’t have a good week. Just because he hasn’t so far doesn’t mean that tomorrow he can’t shoot low and give himself some outside chance of earning some points,” said Rahm.
“No matter what if I win, I’m going to have a real possibility of catching him and possibly passing him next week,” he added.
It’s a three-way tie for the teamed event as De Chambeau’s Crushers GC, Garcias’s Fireballs GC and Oosthuizen’s Stinger GC all sit at 10-under-par heading into the final round.
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