Scott Verplank shot his second straight eight-under 64 to take a three-stroke lead on Friday in the Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disney, the final official US PGA Tour event of the season.
Steve Marino (66) and Troy Matteson (68) were tied for second, but the real drama was at the bottom of the standings.
Friday was cut day in the event that ends the race for spots in the top 125 on the final money list, the cutoff for full 2009 PGA Tour cards.
PHOTO: AFP
Brad Adamonis, who birdied the last hole to finish 1 under but missed the cut, said: “I probably won’t look at the standings until the tournament is over. At least that’s my plan. I’d probably throw up if I did.”
Whether he comes in at 125 depends on what happens this weekend with the players behind him who made the cut at five under.
Bob Tway, who played with Verplank and shot a 62 after a first-round 73, made the cut and needs to finish in the top 12 to make the top 125. Tway, ranked 131st, and Verplank combined for 20 birdies on the Palm Course on Friday.
Erik Compton, who’s had two heart transplants and got a sponsor exemption, shot a 68 and made the cut by two strokes. He’ll play in the second round of Q-school next week, only six months after his second transplant.
Tway still holds the course record of 61 at the Lake Buena Vista course, where the tournament was formerly held.
Verplank, who sank a 60-foot putt on 14 for an eagle 3, has suddenly found his putting stroke and hinted his round could have been better in what he called perfect playing conditions.
“I stayed out too late at the parks last night with my kids, so I was a little lethargic when we started,” said Verplank, who has made a tournament-record 13 straight cuts. “My equilibrium was off, and then something happened where I fell into a zone and didn’t know where I was.”
Some of the players who lose their cards will go back to Q-school. Mike Allen, who has made it through nine Q-schools, shot a 67 to make the cut at 137. He feels confident about his chances, and with the experience of 13 trips to the final round of the Q-school, he’s not easily fazed.
Allen, whose friend at Mesa Country Club in Arizona placed a sign on his locker proclaiming Allen “the Q-school all-time money winner,” said he could relax a bit now that he made the cut.
“Otherwise I was toast,” Allen said.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS