Reaching the halfway point of the PGAChampionship, David Puig, 24 years old, The first of the Spaniards to reach the clubhouse was in the top 10 of the second major of the season. The one from La Garriga, with a long putt of eight meters, closed a fabulous Friday with four birdies and a single bogey on the demanding Aronimink course (Philadelphia), an outstanding and extremely demanding test.
“Patience and putting helped me this time,” said David, who relaxed after a solid start, with two birdies in six holes, but above all, he was filled with spirit when with two putts he saved par on holes 7 and 8. “It was a very good day. I played very consistent and very solid. I hit a lot of greens and when I didn’t, I did a good job,” he added. “Of course it’s the big one I’ve come to best prepared for.”
The card of 67 strokes (two under par in total) guaranteed him to make the cut in his sixth Major and with the minimum objective of improving significantly the 39th position that has the best result in a major at the 2023 USOpen. I had never entered such a condition at the weekend. “I hope to do well,” said the Fireballs golfer, who did not drive as well as he did on Thursday, although he was not far behind either.
He did not let himself be intimidated by playing alongside Potgieter, the South African who breaks it and who jumped from the lead after finishing with two bogeys.
It was a day of clouds and wind, more harsh for the morning shift in which the reference was Scottie Scheffler. The world number 1 added a 71 to his 67 on the first day, one over par, because he missed many fairways and then stumbled on some greens that are moving and not yet so fast.
Added to that cocktail are some very complicated flags — “the most difficult I have ever seen”said Scheffler—and a rough that, without being very high, is enormously thick, which prevents golfers from having control over the ball. The result was high scores, almost USOpen, and a superb show.
