Players Championship’s ‘winners’ cut out of bad weather

Cut cuts such as Morikawa, Shoppallet, and Kepka were eliminated… Siwoo Kim withdrew

Colin Morikawa checks the line while shivering in the cold.

[AFP/게티이미지=연합뉴스]

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Hoon = In the PGA Tour Players Championship, where rain and wind blew day after day, players who were considered as candidates for the championship did not pass the cut and packed their bags.

Due to bad weather, after only finishing the second round on the 14th (Korea time), the fourth day of the competition, world rankings 2nd place Colin Morikawa, 7th place Xander Shopale, and 18th place Brooks Kepka (USA) were unable to advance to the 3rd round.

Morikawa, who was able to rise to the top of the world rankings if he won this tournament, hit 75 in the second round after 73 in the first round, two shots short of the total number of strokes cut by a 4-over par.

They were all strong contenders.

After finishing the first round with 73 shots, Shopale lost 6 shots in the second round and did not pass the cut. It was painful to write a triple bogey on the infamous 18th hole (par 4) after drowning a tee shot while moving around the bunker.

Kepka, who passed the first round by 72 strokes, recorded one triple bogey, two double bogeys, and four bogeys in the second round, recording a 9-over-par 81.

On the 17th hole (par 3), the symbol of TPC Sawgrass where the tournament was held, he put a tee shot into the water, put the ball on the green three times, and made a 3-putt.

Kepka said he couldn’t get the shot he wanted because of the strong wind.

Jordan Spieth, Webb Simpson, Tony Finau (USA), Adam Scott and Jason Day (Australia) also missed the cut.

Defending champion Justin Thomas (USA) said he hit a sand wedge at 185 yards and hit a 5 wood at 195 yards with a headwind and a tailwind.

Si-Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson, and Matt Kutcher examine the stagnant green.
Si-Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson, and Matt Kutcher examine the stagnant green.

[AFP/게티이미지=연합뉴스]

Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) and Scotty Schaeffler (USA) avoided the cut thanks to Scott Pierce (USA), who played in the last group of the second round.

Pierce threw two balls into the water on the 17th hole and did a quadruple bogey, and the number of at-bats per cut changed from 1 over par in 2 rounds to 2 over par.

McIlroy and Schaeffler, who were drowsy after finishing the second round with a 2-over par, sighed.

Kim Si-woo (27), who lost four strokes in the first round and hit a 2-under par in the second round, and pulled up to the cut standard, withdrew before the third round.

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