PGA TOUR Photo
Norwegian Kristoffer Ventura birdied five of his final six holes at The Cliffs Valley to take a one-stroke lead during a rain-shortened second round at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.
PGA TOUR Photo
Olympic curling gold medalist Matt Hamilton exhibited this fashion gem in the second round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am tournament Friday.
Norwegian Kristoffer Ventura birdied five of his final six holes at The Cliffs Valley to take a one-stroke lead during a rain-shortened second round at the BMW Charity Pro-Am. Ventura carded a 10-under 62 on Friday, the low round of the tournament so far, to reach 14-under at the 36-hole mark.
Rhein Gibson sits one back at 13-under. The Australian is seeking his fourth top-10 of the year after a T4 finish last week at the REX Hospital Open. Jonathan Randolph birdied five of his last six holes at Thornblade to reach 11-under and sit third.
More than half of the field was unable to finish their second round due to rain delays totaling more than six hours. The second round will resume on Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. at both Thornblade Club and The Cliffs Valley.
The third and final rounds will be hosted at Thornblade Club over the weekend.
“I think I woke up at 6:00 a.m. today,” said Ventura, who finished his round after 8 p.m. “With the delays, and the 40-minute drive up here, it was tough on the body, but it’s the same for everyone. You just have to stay positive. I didn’t think we were going to play today and obviously we got great conditions and I took advantage of it, which was fun.”
Ventura, 24, is making just his third career start on the Web.com Tour and second of the season. The former Oklahoma State University star missed the cut in both starts. He mentioned seeing coach Claude Harmon a few weeks ago as a catalyst for his game.
“Nothing really stands out about my game, but I have made a bunch of putts, that’s for sure,” said Ventura. “You don’t shoot 14-under (over two days) without making some putts. Just everything has been solid, including my ball striking. I went to see Claude Harmon a couple of weeks ago and things have been clicking lately.”
Ventura scattered five birdies across his first nine holes to turn at 5-under 36 before tallying five birdies in a row from Nos. 13-17 to reach 10-under for the day. He is the third player this season to shoot 10-under or better in a round.
• Play was suspended for the day with inclement weather approaching at 8:01 p.m. at Thornblade Club and 8:14 p.m. at The Cliffs Valley.
• Saturday’s 36-hole cut includes the top-65 professionals (and ties), the top-10 amateurs and the top-six celebrities.
• With most of the golf world talking about amateur Alex Ross shooting a 15-under 57 this week, Rhein Gibson’s name has been brought back up. Gibson holds the record (recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records) with a 16-under 55 as the lowest official round of golf ever recorded. Gibson accomplished the feat in 2012 at River Oaks Golf Club in Edmund, Oklahoma.
• Greenville resident Kyle Thompson (T123, -1) played his final round on the Web.com Tour before retirement on Friday, carding an even-par 71. He retires at the same event he began his professional career 22 years ago. He birdied three of his final four holes to reach red numbers for the tournament.
• This week’s purse is $700,000, with $126,000 going to the winner. The champion will also earn 500
• The par-3 17th hole (217 yards) ranked as the toughest hole on Friday at Thornblade with an average of 3.150. The par-4 10th hole (435 yards) ranked as the toughest hole at The Cliffs Valley with an average of 4.246.
• The par-5 fifth hole (531 yards) ranked as the easiest hole on Friday at Thornblade Club with an average of 4.273. The par-5 17th hole (534 yards) ranked as the easiest hole at The Cliffs Valley with an average of 4.333.