(Reuters) – Bryson DeChambeau birdied his final hole to cap an error free five-under 67 and grab a share of the early second round lead with three others at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit on Friday.
Playing the back nine first at the Detroit Golf Club, DeChambeau came agonizingly close to completing his round with an ace. He hit his approach on the par three ninth to within two-feet of the cup, settling for an easy birdie to get to 11-under for the tournament alongside fellow Americans Matthew Wolff (64), Mark Hubbard (66) and Ireland’s Seamus Power (66).
“Coming off with a clean card today makes me feel really good, and finishing off with a birdie gives me some inspiration for tomorrow to play well,” said DeChambeau, who has posted top eight finishes in all three PGA Tour events since play resumed following a three-month shutdown forced by the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“To get to my A game, it’s going to have to be way more comfortable with my driver and more repeatable with my driver.
“Obviously it’s not bad, right, but I feel like there’s another level.”
Wolff, who was also playing the back first, collected six birdies on his outward nine, including a run of six straight from the 14th and through the turn.
He would pick up two more at the third and sixth before his only miscue of the day was taking a bogey at the par four eighth.
Lurking one shot back on a crowded leaderboard are American Kevin Kisner (69), who holed out for eagle from 162 yards on the sixth hole, and Austrian Sepp Straka (66).
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto. Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
