ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and Cameron John of Australia shared the lead on the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship, the place gamers ranked exterior the highest 400 on the planet shaded the massive names and prime golf leaders on Friday.
Jon Rahm, certainly one of 14 gamers from Saudi-funded LIV Golf within the subject, bogeyed two of his final three holes for a 71 at Kingsbarns and was six photographs behind. Rory McIlroy, enjoying in a gaggle with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, had a 69 at Kingsbarns and was eight again.
Colsaerts, a one-time Ryder Cup participant who has fallen to No. 695 on the planet, confirmed he hasn’t misplaced his penchant for going low by making eight birdies for a 7-under 65 at Carnoustie.
John is No. 1,007 on the planet rating. He opened with a career-best 62 and adopted that on Friday with a 68 at St. Andrews, his spherical slowed by taking two from a pot bunker and making double bogey on the par-5 fifth gap.
They had been at 14-under 130, one shot forward of David Regulation of Scotland (No. 454) and Darren Fichardt of South Africa (No. 462).
Regulation is attempting to safe his European tour card and shot 67 at St. Andrews. Fichardt, who opened with a career-best 61, may handle solely a 72 on the Outdated Course.
The match, that includes one skilled and one novice over three programs, started with Monahan enjoying alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that backs rival LIV Golf.
They’re within the midst of attempting to barter a deal during which the Public Funding Fund would change into a minority investor within the industrial PGA Tour Enterprises.
Monahan, whose companion is Billy Horschel, performed on Friday with McIlroy and his father. Al-Rumayyan has LIV participant Dean Burmester as a companion. He performed alongside golf energy dealer Johann Rupert of South Africa, who is essentially accountable for this match.
What ought to followers take away from the PGA Tour commissioner and PIF entrance man enjoying collectively in Scotland.
Rupert advised reporters on Thursday, “I’ve recognized Jay for a really very long time, and I’ve received to know His Excellency (Al-Rumayyan) as properly, and so they each solely have the very best pursuits of golf at coronary heart. We have to carry on having days like immediately. Golf is meant to be a maker of buddies.
“We’ve a conflict occurring in Ukraine and a horrible state of affairs within the Center East and one other conflict occurring in Sudan and we argue about golf? Certainly all we need to do is see the very best gamers on the planet enjoying collectively.”
The Dunhill Hyperlinks via two days has supplied an odd assortment of gamers on the prime, although the 41-year-old Colsaerts has been on an enormous stage beforehand.
He’s greatest recognized for profitable a fourballs match virtually by himself at Medinah within the 2012 Ryder Cup. Colsaerts made eight birdies and an eagle as he and Lee Westwood beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.
Colsaerts has just one win within the 12 years since that Ryder Cup, however discovered one thing at a match he loves enjoying.
“I’ve been enjoying fairly properly since yesterday,” Colsaerts mentioned. “St. Andrews, I actually plotted my means round. However right here (Carnoustie), it requires just a little bit extra of native data. Having performed on this undoubtedly helps.”
He ran off three straight birdies across the flip, after which capped off three birdies in 4 holes late within the spherical, ending his run on the robust seventeenth.
“All of it match collectively,” Colsaerts mentioned.
For McIlroy and Rahm and the opposite prime gamers, they go to St. Andrews on Saturday. Monahan and Horschel will probably be with Rupert and Louis Oosthuizen, whereas McIlroy and his father play alongside Al-Rumayyan and Burmester.
