Farmers Insurance 2023 Open leaderboard, scores: Sam Ryder manages to hold off Max Homa, Jon Rahm
How to backup posting low round of the day? By following. That’s exactly what Sam Ryder achieved on Thursday in Round 2 of the 2023 Farmers’ Insurance Open as he trailed his 8 under 64 in the Northern Circuit with a 4 under 68 in the Road. race south more difficult. The best of those who made the trip on Thursday, Ryder entered the later stages of the tournament 12 under-12 three strokes away from the nearest opponent.
Oddly enough, it was his playing partner for the first two days, Brendan Steele (-9). The two will play together again on Friday and hopefully the good vibes of the first rounds will continue as the larger chase group features some of the biggest names in the game.
Max Homa showed his own record with a 2 under 70 and six strokes behind Ryder. The winner in California earlier this season, the Los Angeles native will try to add a fourth title in The Golden State to his résumé.
Two-time tournament winner Jason Day is just one step back in bottom 5 with Californian Collin Morikawa. The two-time major champion who led the court in terms of strokes hit the approach on Thursday and is eyeing redemption after squandering a late lead against Jon Rahm in his final start. him at the League of Champions.
And while Rahm may have been stalled on Wednesday, he was in hyperdrive on Thursday. Signing the low round of the day at the North Course, the world number 3 signed with a 5 under 67, returning to the fray with a 4 under.
Leadership
1. Sam Ryder (-12): It’s uncharted waters for Ryder, who holds a 36-hole lead in his PGA Tour career for the first time. While some might hint at a failure in the last 36 holes, his second round on the South Court may tell a different story. Second in strokes from tee to green, second in strokes on approach and fifth in strokes from putt, Ryder would be hard to catch if he could do it a bit like each other throughout the journey.
“I’m not really going to change my approach much. It’s just one of those things that just started happening. It’s like I didn’t play on Thursday and thought today I’d hit eight under because The weather was good. I just hit a couple of good shots and the round started on me,” Ryder said. “So I’m going to, you know, all that cliché, try and take it one shot at a time. … I mean, playing late or later in the day on this golf course, it’s tough. Traffic is on the lawn and it’s not — it’s never easy out there. So try to strut and see if I can keep myself in a good position and keep attacking.”
other candidates
2. Brendan Steele (-9)
3. Tano Goya (-7)
T4. Max Homa, Taylor Montgomery, Brent Grant, Sahith Theegala, Vincent Norrman, Sam Stevens (-6)
T10. Jason Day, Collin Morikawa, Sam Stevens, Ben Griffin, Andrew Novak (-5)
I came out of the second round impressed by the golf swing Homa played. On a day with gusts of up to 40 mph, Homa never wavered and acted as if he was going to take the South Track by storm soon. Having hit five birdies in his opening nine games, he eventually slowed down but stayed in the right place for this tournament.
Aim Point’s take on the green continued to benefit as he ranked 12th in strokes on Thursday. Looking extremely comfortable in every aspect of the game, Homa’s rise will continue into 2023 and could very well lead to his second win of the season on Saturday.
Can five holes push Rahm to the third in a row?
The world number 3 was stuck in neutral for most of the second round as the normally accessible North Court proved more difficult due to gusty conditions. Turning side-by-side, Rahm started a back nine with four straight strokes until he caught the lightning in the bottle. Playing his last five holes on Thursday 5 under 5, the Spaniard quickly went from outside the cut to contest firmly with a 5 under 67 round. Coming in at 4 Under for the tournament, Rahm tied in 14th place and stroked 8 out of speed.
“Nothing special. I know it’s probably the most scoring part of the course on any given day. Holes 5-9, windy or not, are where you can take advantage of the course. ,” said Rahm. “Luckily, I hit it really well. There’s no difference between those holes or any other five or four holes you can pick during the round. It’s just wind guessing right on all of them. I think maybe I got a little more aggressive after my second shot on the 6th and got into the mentality of making birdies instead of being a little hesitant, which is easy to do when it’s blowing hard like today. .”
California Dreamin’
The first page of the leaderboard was flooded with players with ties to California. Homa is a native of Los Angeles and holds three titles in his home state. Morikawa, his playing partner in the first two rounds, is also from LA and won his first major championship at TPC Harding Park in the Bay Area. Steele, Montgomery, and Theegala all had connections of their own during the first few days of their welcome homecoming.
Farmers Insurance 2023 Open odds, picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Sam Ryder: 16/5
- Brendan Steele: 6-1
- Max Homa: 25/4
- John Rahm: 7-1
- Taylor Montgomery: 15/2
- Jason’s Day: 8-1
- Collin Morikawa: 9-1
- Sahith Theegala: 12-1
These are the only players listed under 40-1 on the odds table as bookmakers believe the tournament has turned into an eight-man race. It’s hard to disagree with them since Ryder has been dominant so far, but I won’t count any of the chasers right away.
I still believe Homa will find a way to win this tournament as he had a somewhat disappointing half-time at 2 under 70 on Thursday. With a total of six birdies, Homa ranked first on the regulatory green and third in tee-to-green. He’s burned through most of his touchlines, and if those shots land on the next 36 holes, the 32-year-old has a big chance of usurping Ryder.
