[ad_1]
Six weeks in the past, Ricardo Gonzalez was a strong senior golfer, however not even a full member of the PGA Tour Champions. On Sunday, Gonzalez may have an opportunity for his second win on the Champions tour.
A victory in February on the Trophy Hassan II earned Gonzalez full membership on the senior tour. In Saturday’s second spherical of the Galleri Traditional, Gonzalez fired a exceptional 9-under 63 within the uncharacteristic rain, wind and chilly of Rancho Mirage to take the lead of one other PGA Tour Champions occasion.
“I performed I believe certainly one of my greatest rounds on the tour, and so completely satisfied to make a (course) report,” Gonzalez stated after breaking the Dinah Shore Event Course report of 65 set by a number of gamers within the inaugural Galleri Traditional final yr. “Performed with two nice males like Vijay (Singh) and Stephen Ames and loved. Get pleasure from the important thing to make beneath par.”
🎉 New event report 🎉
Solo chief Ricardo Gonzalez shoots 9-under 63 to set the @GalleriClassic event report. pic.twitter.com/Jgrf2gWJ6n
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 30, 2024
Gonzalez enters Sunday’s ultimate spherical of the senior occasion at 11-under 133, good for a one-shot lead over Steven Alker and Retief Goosen, who each once more displayed robust play on the Shore Course.
The runner-up to David Toms in final yr’s inaugural occasion, Alker shot a 68 on a day when the forecasted heavy rain by no means hit the Coachella Valley. As a substitute, temperatures hovered within the higher 50s and swirling winds made circumstances colder and harder.
Goosen, third in final yr’s occasion, additionally shot 68 with a 5-under 31 in a few of the hardest circumstances of the day on the again 9. With defending champion Toms tied for fourth at 8-under with Alex Cejka, the highest three gamers from the 2023 event in Rancho Mirage are among the many high 5 gamers getting into Sunday’s ultimate spherical of the $2.2 million occasion.
“What course was he taking part in?” Alker joked about Gonzalez’s spherical.
“I believe he was first off, wasn’t he?” laughed Goosen. “Second group off, so he bought fortunate with the climate, yeah.”
Tee instances for the ultimate spherical might be moved up solely barely Sunday to eight:10 a.m. for the primary teams off the primary and tenth tee and the ultimate group will begin at 10:15 a.m.
A light-weight rain began falling on the course about 20 minutes earlier than the lead group of Goosen, Alker and Cejka teed off at 10:11 a.m. Whereas there have been bouts of more durable rain and powerful winds, Alker felt the day was playable.
“I used to be anticipating the climate to be worse, to be trustworthy,” Alker stated. “I believed there was going to be no speaking within the group, I believed it was simply going to be head down and battle ahead, but it surely wasn’t too dangerous. I believe we bought fortunate.”
Massive again 9 for leaders
Goosen’s rally on the again 9 began with an up-and-down birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-5 eleventh. He added a birdie on the 14th, then caught a break on the fifteenth gap.
“I bought fortunate on 15, I blocked it proper and I hit a niche by way of the bushes there and hit it to about 5 ft and made the putt, in order that was a little bit of a break,” Goosen stated. “Yeah, 17 we each hit good pictures, (Alker) simply landed too far, went a bit additional previous than me.”
Goosen rolled in a putt from the perimeter for one more birdie on the seventeenth, then added a 10-foot birdie on the par-5 18th to cap the spherical.
From off the inexperienced!
Retief Goosen will get himself inside two 👀 @GalleriClassic pic.twitter.com/FPIHfUsnhQ
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 30, 2024
Alker’s spherical was much less dramatic than Goosen’s, with 5 birdies scattered all through the spherical and one bogey when he had a extreme lip-out on par-3 seventeenth. However Alker rallied with a protracted birdie putt on the 18th gap to tie Goosen for second place.
“We didn’t have the rain, the greens weren’t tender, you couldn’t throw it at it,” Goosen stated. “So that you’re adjusting for the wind and the bounce. So yeah, there have been some changes right this moment, however felt like had a tremendous end. I used to be sort of struggling there within the center after which come again and made good putts on the finish so simply going to make dinner style a bit bit higher.”
Goosen and Alker might be paired collectively Sunday with Gonzalez, a participant Goosen is aware of nicely from their taking part in days collectively on the DP World Tour.
“He’s all the time been ball striker and placing was all the time a bit suspect,” Goosen stated. “However he appeared to seek out his recreation and discover his consolation out right here. He’s taking part in actually good golf.”
Gonzalez’s spherical included 10 birdies, 5 on every 9, and only one bogey. The spherical included a string of three birdies on the 14th, fifteenth and sixteenth holes, holes that had been taking part in into the chilly, prevailing wind. The Argentine star stored the spherical particular with saves of par on the par-3 seventeenth and par-5 18th, particularly a 10-foot par putt on the seventeenth after hitting his tee shot right into a bunker behind the inexperienced.
“Yeah, sure, and 15, 14, 13,” Gonzalez laughed about his robust placing. “And 17 is particular as a result of attempt to not make bogeys. I make one bogey on the primary 9 holes (the par-3 eighth gap) and I say, no, come on, focus on that and make. However I’ve an excellent feeling right this moment.”
Gonzalez credited a lot of his placing success – he ranked first within the area Saturday with 1.46 per gap – to his son and caddie, Santiago.
“I believe Santiago’s 80 p.c of my placing as a result of he offers me good line after which when you might have feeling you might have the proper line, all the pieces’s doable,” he stated.
Sunday’s ultimate spherical is forecast to be hotter however with nonetheless an opportunity of rain by way of the morning.
“I just like the course, I just like the design and that’s why I’m feeling comfy from the tee to inexperienced,” Gonzalez stated. “At this time the strawberry on the cake is the putter. It’s all the time whenever you make (putts) you are able to do low scores.”
[ad_2]
Source link
