US ROOKIES Kevin Velo and Isaiah Salinda grabbed a one-stroke lead after Friday’s alternate-shot second round of the PGA Zurich Classic while defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry remain in contention.
Velo and Salinda, each seeking his first PGA Tour title, combined to fire a three-under par 69 to stand on 17-under 127 after 36 holes in the pairs event at TPC of Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana.
Americans Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, also chasing their first PGA wins, combined for a 66 with birdies on three of their final five holes to stand second on 128, one stroke ahead of Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Back-nine starters Salinda and Velo, pals since their junior golf days, were one-over through nine holes but reeled off three birdies in a row to start their second nine and share the lead. Salinda’s birdie putt from just inside 12 feet at the eighth put them alone at the top.
“I like our chances in alternate shot versus anyone in the field,” Salinda said. “We just keep playing how we’re playing, set ourselves up for Sunday and give ourselves a shot.”
McIlroy and Lowry were six-under after 12 holes but stumbled with bogeys on three of the last six holes to shoot 69 and finish on 11-under 133 entering Saturday’s four-ball format third round and Sunday’s alternate-shot final round.
“We were six-under through 12 and cruising and then a bit of a bad finish but I didn’t feel like we played that badly to have the finish that we did,” McIlroy said. “A couple of loose shots here and there.
“Tomorrow it will be hard to stay patient because the four-ball format you just have to try to make as many birdies as you can.”
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Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, in his first event since winning the Masters two weeks ago to complete a career Grand Slam, and Irishman Lowry want to become the event’s first back-to-back champions.
Their foursome round today at TPC Louisiana included an eagle on the second hole.
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry posted a second-round (69) 👀
Can the defending champions claw their way back up the leaderboard this weekend? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/j4tVU11PcD
McIlroy, who has already won three titles this year, sank an 11-foot eagle putt at the par-5 second but Lowry missed the green and a par putt to bogey the par-3 third.
McIlroy made a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet at the fourth and Lowry pitched from the rough to just inside five feet to set up a McIlroy birdie putt at the par-5 seventh.
Lowry dropped his approach inches from the hole at the eighth to set up a McIlroy tap-in birdie and landed his approach at the 10th inside four feet to set up another McIlroy birdie putt.
At 12, McIlroy sank a 14-foot birdie putt to lift the duo to 14-under and a share of second.
But at 13, McIlroy couldn’t reach the green from the rough and missed a 20-foot par putt.
Lowry missed the green at the par-3 17th and they needed four shots to reach the green in taking a bogey at the par-5 18th.
“We’re obviously disappointed. I feel like 11-under is the worst score we could be for two days,” Lowry said.
Meanwhile in the LPGA, Leona Maguire has fought her way inside the projected cut line at the Chevron Championship where she came close to a hole in one in the second round.
Maguire carded a one-under 71 to bring her to two-over overall and a tie for 64th place with nine players yet to finish their rounds due to darkness halting the action on Friday.
The Cavan woman started on the 10th and began brightly with a birdie. She dropped a shot on 13 but back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 saw her reach the turn on one-over. Her tee shot on the par-three 17 almost gave her a hole-in-one, as the ball floated just past the hole after a brilliant attempt.
A double-bogey on the third and a second bogey at the seventh could have proved costly, but a pair of birdies on holes five and eight left her on 71 at the end. China’s Liu Yan made a stunning albatross and a closing birdie to seize a one-stroke lead at the tournament in Texas.
Pádraig Harrington is in action on the Champions Tour, and has finished the opening round of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic with a one-over 73. Harrington’s round included a bogey on the fourth, a double-bogey on the ninth and birdies on the fifth and 13th.
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McIlroy and Lowry have disappointing finish to round but still in hunt at Zurich Classic
LAST UPDATE | 26 Apr
US ROOKIES Kevin Velo and Isaiah Salinda grabbed a one-stroke lead after Friday’s alternate-shot second round of the PGA Zurich Classic while defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry remain in contention.
Velo and Salinda, each seeking his first PGA Tour title, combined to fire a three-under par 69 to stand on 17-under 127 after 36 holes in the pairs event at TPC of Louisiana in Avondale, Louisiana.
Americans Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak, also chasing their first PGA wins, combined for a 66 with birdies on three of their final five holes to stand second on 128, one stroke ahead of Danish twins Rasmus and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Back-nine starters Salinda and Velo, pals since their junior golf days, were one-over through nine holes but reeled off three birdies in a row to start their second nine and share the lead. Salinda’s birdie putt from just inside 12 feet at the eighth put them alone at the top.
“I like our chances in alternate shot versus anyone in the field,” Salinda said. “We just keep playing how we’re playing, set ourselves up for Sunday and give ourselves a shot.”
McIlroy and Lowry were six-under after 12 holes but stumbled with bogeys on three of the last six holes to shoot 69 and finish on 11-under 133 entering Saturday’s four-ball format third round and Sunday’s alternate-shot final round.
“We were six-under through 12 and cruising and then a bit of a bad finish but I didn’t feel like we played that badly to have the finish that we did,” McIlroy said. “A couple of loose shots here and there.
“Tomorrow it will be hard to stay patient because the four-ball format you just have to try to make as many birdies as you can.”
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, in his first event since winning the Masters two weeks ago to complete a career Grand Slam, and Irishman Lowry want to become the event’s first back-to-back champions.
Their foursome round today at TPC Louisiana included an eagle on the second hole.
McIlroy, who has already won three titles this year, sank an 11-foot eagle putt at the par-5 second but Lowry missed the green and a par putt to bogey the par-3 third.
McIlroy made a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet at the fourth and Lowry pitched from the rough to just inside five feet to set up a McIlroy birdie putt at the par-5 seventh.
Lowry dropped his approach inches from the hole at the eighth to set up a McIlroy tap-in birdie and landed his approach at the 10th inside four feet to set up another McIlroy birdie putt.
At 12, McIlroy sank a 14-foot birdie putt to lift the duo to 14-under and a share of second.
But at 13, McIlroy couldn’t reach the green from the rough and missed a 20-foot par putt.
Lowry missed the green at the par-3 17th and they needed four shots to reach the green in taking a bogey at the par-5 18th.
“We’re obviously disappointed. I feel like 11-under is the worst score we could be for two days,” Lowry said.
Meanwhile in the LPGA, Leona Maguire has fought her way inside the projected cut line at the Chevron Championship where she came close to a hole in one in the second round.
Maguire carded a one-under 71 to bring her to two-over overall and a tie for 64th place with nine players yet to finish their rounds due to darkness halting the action on Friday.
The Cavan woman started on the 10th and began brightly with a birdie. She dropped a shot on 13 but back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 saw her reach the turn on one-over. Her tee shot on the par-three 17 almost gave her a hole-in-one, as the ball floated just past the hole after a brilliant attempt.
A double-bogey on the third and a second bogey at the seventh could have proved costly, but a pair of birdies on holes five and eight left her on 71 at the end. China’s Liu Yan made a stunning albatross and a closing birdie to seize a one-stroke lead at the tournament in Texas.
Pádraig Harrington is in action on the Champions Tour, and has finished the opening round of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic with a one-over 73. Harrington’s round included a bogey on the fourth, a double-bogey on the ninth and birdies on the fifth and 13th.
– © AFP 2025
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