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Playing in the morning-afternoon split, Taylor Pendrith found himself at a distinct disadvantage due to Thursday’s weather. Making the most of his first-round, the long-hitting Canadian eventually carded a 1-under 70, more than four-strokes better than the wave’s average.
Sitting five-strokes behind Brandon Hagy and Chad Ramey to begin the second round, Pendrith carried the momentum from his stressful, gritty first-round into Friday’s calm conditions. Carding nine birdies and an eagle against only one bogey, Pendrith captured not only the course record with a 10-under 61 – previously held by 2019 champion Brendon Todd – but also the 36-hole lead.
When asked about the difference between his first two rounds, Pendrith said, “It was two different days, for sure. You know, yesterday was some of the worst weather I’ve ever played in and just almost like surviving out there. Didn’t really matter how you hit it; you just have to hit shots. Today was a completely different story and could actually enjoy the views of Bermuda, so it was great.”
He would go on to add, “It was great. Felt a lot easier out there than yesterday obviously, so it was nice to make some birdies. Got off to a great start and then made the turn. Made eagle on 17 and had a good look on 18. And I got five in a row I guess on the front nine, gave me some momentum and the putter was hot, saw some putts go in. Seemed like everything had a chance to go in.”
Sitting at 11-under, the 30-year-old holds a narrow one-stroke lead over Patrick Rodgers and two-strokes ahead of Vincent Whaley. With each player looking to win their first PGA Tour title, they will have to take advantage of tomorrow’s conditions as weather is expected to roll in for the final round.
The oddsmakers at PointsBet Sportsbook have the trio at the top of the odds board, but with plenty of golf to be played, there are a number of potential suitors to chase them down. Most notable is one of the pre-tournament favorites in Patrick Reed as he is +2000 at the halfway point.
As for us, Hayden Buckley had it going early in his second round, getting to 5-under through his first 10 holes. Unfortunately, he faltered coming home, playing his last eight holes in 2-over to sit eight-strokes behind Pendrith. With not much doing in the outright department – currently invested in Buckley, Denny McCarthy, Max McGreevy, and Adam Hadwin – we will look elsewhere in Round 3.
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Updated Odds to Win (Odds Via PointsBet):
+350: Taylor Pendrith
+550: Patrick Rodgers
+900: Vincent Whaley
+1600: Lucas Herbert
+1800: Danny Lee
+2000: Patrick Reed
+2200: Chad Ramey
+2500: Peter Malnati
+2800: David Skinns, Peter Uihlein
+3000: Seamus Power
+3300: Adam Svensson, Alex Smalley
+3500: Matthias Schwab
+4000: Justin Lower, Patrick Flavin
+4500: Guido Migliozzi
+5000: Matthew Fitzpatrick
Round 3 Plays (Odds Via PointsBet):
Luke Donald (+850 to finish inside the top-10):
Donald got the short end of the stick on Thursday with the weather draw, but was still able to put together a respectable round of 1-over 72. He came back today with a bogey-free 5-under 66 to sit in a tie for 26th at 4-under. Only two-strokes out of the current top-10, I don’t mind wagering on the former world No. 1 making up the ground over the next two days.
Hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation in the second round, Donald left plenty of opportunities by the wayside. Known as a great putter and having found some form with the flat stick to end last season, I expect the Englishman to find his touch on the greens as he currently ranks in a tie for 71st in putts per green in regulation.
Out at 10:30 a.m. local time tomorrow, he’ll play his third round in 10 to 15 mph winds as opposed to the leaders who will face somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 mph winds. While not a huge contrast, it could pose as the eventual difference maker come week’s end.
As an added bonus, with winds similar to Thursday expected on Sunday, Donald has already faced such elements. A bit more in tune to what it takes to post a strong performance in the difficult conditions, Thursday’s unfortunate circumstances could turn into an advantage as low scores will likely be a rarity in the final round.
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