Greensboro, NC, US, Aug 15: Anirban Lahiri’s return to golf in Covid times was short-lived at the Wyndham Championship, while Arjun Atwal, who won the same event 10 years ago, missed his first cut in four starts since the return of golf following the pause necessitated by the pandemic.
Lahiri missed a bunch of small putts, including two inside five feet and few more between eight and 12 feet to card one-over 71 following his one-under 69 from the first round.
Atwal, two-under after a disappointing late double bogey on 17th on the first day, came back the next morning to complete his first round in two-under 68. He managed even par 70 in the second round.
The 47-year-old Atwal made cuts at Rocket Mortgage, 3M Open and Barracuda Championship and may well have been done so here, too, but for a lapse on the 17th on the first day, when he double bogeyed the 17th just before play was stopped.
Lahiri, playing his first event since early March and winless since the 2015 Hero Indian Open, hit the ball well but did not hole many putts, especially small ones and missed the cut. Lahiri will now return to competition in the new season, which starts immediately after the FedExCup play-offs. The new season begins with Safeway Championships on September 10.
The cut fell at three-under 139 and 77 players made the cut as the rough at Sedgefield Country Club was “more sticky and deep”. However, preferred lies have been used the first two days.
Tom Hoge (62-68), who tied for the first-round lead with Harold Varner III and Roger Sloan, kept a share of the lead after the second. However, he shared the lead with Si Woo Kim (65-65), Talor Gooch (65-65) and Billy Horschel (66-64) at 10-under.
Two big names exited early as Brooks Koepka (72-70) and Justin Rose (73-67) missed the cut. Jordan Spieth (70-67) made the cut on the line.
As Hoge looks for his maiden PGA Tour win, Kim won his first at this same event in 2016. In 2017 he became the youngest-ever winner of THE PLAYERS Championship. Like Hoge, Gooch, 28, is also seeking his first TOUR victory. Horschel shot 64 and had birdies on four of the last six holes.
The leading four were a stroke ahead of Harris English (67), Varner (69), Andrew Landry (65), Doc Redman (64) and the Open champ Shane Lowry, who shot a 63 to tie for Friday’s low round with Jason Kokrak.
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