2022 Texas Open Score: Ryan Palmer leads Round 2 at TPC San Antonio, Hideki Matsuyama withdraws
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Ryan Palmer shot a 6-under 66 with ease at the Valero Texas Open to take a two-hit lead against Kevin Chappell, Dylan Fritteli and Matt Kuchar after the second round on Friday.
Palmer, at bottom 10, took the lead with consecutive birdies in the middle of the back nine.
Chappell, the 2017 tournament champion, had a low round of the day of 65. Fritteli also had no bogeys in his 66, and Kuchar shot 69 with four birdies straight to the back.
Palmer’s last Tour win was in 2019. He took the lead with a 5-foot birdie putt at par-5 14. At 15, he converted another birdie into a 10-foot inside.
“It’s a golf course, if you take it offline you’re going to have a hard time,” Palmer said. “I was able to keep the ball right in front of me. When I missed the fairways, I think I had some lucky breaks. So at the weekend it was just a matter of avoiding the misses. that’s big.”
Hideki Matsuyama withdrew after nine holes on Friday with neck pain, leaving the Masters title defense early next week.
Defending champion Jordan Spieth was making a move, trailing four under for his round after a short birdie putt on his 14th hole. He is in good form on the next leg after chipping to 3 feet – where he booked three goals. A brace of goals sent him into the expected boundary, eventually ending the weekend with two shots at 2 under.
It’s not as good as some of the other notable names. Bryson DeChambeau cut the first three holes and missed the cut. Rory McIlroy failed to get past par in his two innings and missed the cut.
JJ Spaun is in the group of players who shoot back Palmer three times. He took the morning lead at bottom 10 when he dropped an 18-foot birdie on his 14th hole. He finished with three bogeys.
“I’m still in a good position – lots of golf left,” Spaun said. “Finishing was quite difficult, and two failed turns meant I had to take a couple of shots. I was still happy to have a shot.”
Spaun participants in bottom 7 include US Open champions Lucas Glover (66) and Gary Woodland (67), Charles Howell III (67) and Brendon Todd (69).
Kuchar cut three out of four holes in the middle of his round. Starting at 14 minutes, Kuchar made a straight four birdie putt 10 feet or more. He said there was nothing special about the run.
“I don’t think so – they fall where they fall and you never know,” he said. “You try to stay as optimistic as possible thinking they’re going to fall at some point. You never know on a round of golf, and it’s fun when they fall at some point in the day. today.”
Chappell’s only Tour win came here five years ago. His number 65 has no bogeys on the card. He hit the ball on his 11th hole and finished with two birdies, one with 17 feet on the finish hole.
“I just feel comfortable around this place,” Chappell said. “My soul and this golf course get along well. I really enjoy being here. I’m excited about my game because I don’t think I’ve played great yet. It doesn’t look like the ball is falling out of the middle. clubface wherever I go and fly where I’m looking, but I was able to scramble and put the ball in the hole.”
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