Waterford’s Séamus Power alongside Germany’s Matti Schmid, put together a strong Friday foursomes round at the Zurich Classic, posting a four-under-par 68 to take them to T11 at 13-under, three shots off the leaders Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer.
Power and Schmid plodded along well at TPC Louisiana, making three birdies on the front nine alongside a sore bogey at the par-3 third, where Power’s tee shot found the greenside bunker.
The pair made the same score on the back with Power contributing a few fantastic strikes, most notably an approach stuck to 12 feet on the 16th, where Schmid popped in the birdie putt.
The twosome of Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka missed the 10-under-par cutline by one stroke despite combining for five birdies. They were done in by bogeys on the third and 17th, both par-3s.
Koepka, who needed a strong showing to earn his first exemption for a Signature Event will more than likely miss next week’s Cadillac Championship in Miami, unless he gets in as an alternate.
USA’s Alex Smalley and Hayden Springer can be grateful for their first round 58 as the pair only managed a two-under-par 70 in round two, but they still hold the lead at 16-under.
“We scrambled pretty well and hung in there,” Springer said. “We kind of picked each other up where we needed to and made the putt where we needed to.”
“I don’t think we should deviate from our game plan from Thursday, because it seemed like it worked pretty well. Just try to get as many balls in play off the tee as we can, get as many birdie looks as we can and just kind of go from there,” added Smalley.
The two 29-year-olds are seeking their first win on the PGA TOUR.
The Fitzpatrick brothers, Matt and Alex, posted the lowest round of the day, making six birdies and an eagle on their way to a seven-under 65 and jumped to T2 on 15-under.
Matt Fitzpatrick, ranked third in the world after edging world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a playoff in the RBC Heritage last weekend, highlighted his round with a chip-in birdie on the par-5 18th.
“I felt we played great today. We barely missed a shot. Made the putts when we needed to, made some good birdie looks, and yeah, just felt like we played really solid all around today,” said Matt.
Alex, a DP World Tour regular, made four of the duo’s six birdie putts, with the longest of the bunch coming from more than 17 feet.
“I didn’t feel like I did much. (Matt) read the putts for me, and I just keep listening to him, and they go in,” Alex said. “It’s much easier having somebody who reads the greens very well by your side.”
The Fitzpatrick’s share second place with the pairings of Davis Thompson and Austin Eckroat, and Billy Horschel and Tom Hoge.
The third round Saturday will tee off with nine teams within two shots of the leaders.
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