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There’s going low.
And there’s what Eric Axley is doing Wednesday throughout the second spherical of the PGA Tour Champions Q College last stage.
Beginning on the again 9 on the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale, Axley eagled the par-5 tenth gap. Good begin.
He then went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie to get to eight underneath by means of six holes.
Axley lastly cooled off with pars on the par-5 seventeenth and par-4 18th. Nonetheless, he made the flip in 28 and was formally on 59 watch.
“As soon as I eagled No. 10, it appeared just like the birdies weren’t way more than tap-ins,” Axley mentioned. “I feel I had it inside three ft on every of my first eight holes, besides the par-3 sixteenth. There, I had 192 yards and hit it to 6 ft, however nonetheless made it. So, every part simply felt actually snug down that stretch of holes.”
The 28 ties the low nine-hole rating on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023.
He then parred Nos. 10 and 11 however a disastrous quadruple 7 on the par-3 third gap, his twelfth of the day, did some harm to his scorecard. He would later birdie Nos. 5, 6 and seven to put up a 7-under 64 and stroll off the course tied for sixth. He ended the day in a tie for seventh.
“I hit a bizarre tee shot on No. 3 that ended up in a foul spot,” he mentioned. “I couldn’t get it on the inexperienced from the place I used to be, so I ended up having a bogey putt from 20 ft. I ran that by three ft, then ran it by three ft coming again. So, that was a four-putt. It was like getting punched within the abdomen while you aren’t ready for it. However, I did bounce again considerably with three extra straight birdies on 5, 6 and seven. So, that helped.”
Axley, 49, has one win – the 2006 Valero Texas Open – in 209 begins on the PGA Tour and $3.2 million in profession earnings. He doesn’t flip 50 till April 22 subsequent 12 months however is vying for one among 5 tour playing cards being handed out this week for the 2024 season.
Wes Brief, Jr., shot a 63 on Wednesday and sits at 12 underneath, alone in first on the midway mark. He had seven birdies and an eagle. Daniel Chopra, Shane Bertsch and Cameron Percy are tied for second at 11 underneath. Alan McLean is solo fifth at 10 underneath.
Different notables embrace Dick Mast, the final golfer within the discipline at age 72, beat his age by capturing an even-par 71; Scottsdale’s Bryan Hoops, the lone novice within the discipline, tied for twelfth after scores of 64-72; and former Main League pitcher John Smoltz is final. He adopted his first-round 80 with a 76. He’s 14 over.
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