The wind blew at the end of the PGA Championship on Friday. Will Galatoris never did.
From the fairway or rough, Galatoris continues to hit the golf ball at the buttons of the Southern Hills, giving Chile’s Mito Pereira a one-shot lead with a mild chance for a 4-under 66 in the afternoon.
Tiger Woods will be included in his second straight major over the weekend, a remarkable achievement in his own right.
Read more: The seal of Moses’ ‘surreal’ heroism is the last-minute Ils Hist
Read more: Trobozevich ‘disappointed’ after latest crashing injury
After hitting his right leg in a car accident 15 months ago, Woods Par-3 was out of the cut line after a double bogie on the 11th hole. He played the last seven holes with two birdies and made it with a pair of 15-foot par save with one shot left for 69 runs.
But he’s 12 shots away from Galatoris, a 25-year-old from Dallas who is made like a 1-iron and with his eyes closed he could probably hit in a flash.
Undoubtedly, the whole aspect of Gelatoris and his draw was helped when the wind at a speed of more than 30 miles per hour on Friday morning fell in the last two hours.
Bubba Watson shot for the first 62 in the history of the PGA Championship. He missed just 25 feet inside the 18th hole and this Major had to settle for the 18th round of 63 and the third round at Southern Hills. He joined Woods (2007) and Raymond Floyd (1982).
At 63, Pereira had a chance to lose from 7 feet into the ninth hole to close his round.
“I am just happy to be free. We played 11 runs without any wind, “said Galatoris.” When I was out of position, I got the most out of it. “
He opened a shot from the rough that covered the green 2 feet in length. He hit another with a gap of seven feet. Not only did he have a boogie-free card, he had five birdies within 8 feet.
Galatoris was at 9-under 131.
And what Justin Thomas can do is see from the sofa of his rented house in Tulsa.
Thomas made heavy lifting in the morning, when the wind was blowing hard and his limbs were swaying. He fired just one shot on the way to another 67, setting a terrific target for Rory McIlroy and everyone else in the afternoon.
And now Thomas is three shots behind, Watson is right behind him.
Of the nearly two dozen players, only five came from the waves that played Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, two winds of the week.
McIlroy got the good side of the draw and failed to capture the moment. He didn’t make a birdie until the 13th hole. It was his only one in the 71st round that left him five shots behind.
Playing with Jordan Spieth, McIlroy and Woods, they eventually equalized in the tournament, until a bogey on the 18th and a 69-run drive in the water. He was 10 shots behind to get the Major from the career. Grand Slam.
The weekend will not include Masters champion Scott Schaffler, who stumbled badly under a stretch and finished with a double bogey for 75 runs – the equivalent of a 4-over – by two.
John Rahm thought he could go back in the mix to reach 142 in 2-overs with 69, and he was skeptical about the wind loss forecast.
“They said the wind was going down this afternoon. No, not this. It’s Oklahoma, “Rahm said. “It will have the same wind as us.”
Only if.
Watson did not score better than 68 in his previous 49 rounds at the PGA Championship. And then he dropped nine birdies and went on weekends with a chance.
Galatoris and Pereira, who led the Corn Ferry Tour a year ago, will be in the final group on Saturday, with the two players still looking for their first PGA Tour title.
The majors of Galatoris have a lot of experience. At the time of her debut in 2021, she was runner-up from Hideki Matsuyama in the Masters. This is his eighth major and he already has four of the top ten.
“When I took the only lead at 12, I told my caddy, ‘Let’s enjoy it,'” Galatoris said. “In my first Masters, I was runner up and I wanted to enjoy it. I will take the same attitude. “
Woods was seen heading home after his double bogie in par-3 11, where he made a stream out of the tall grass and into the bunker on the other side of the green. And then he saves a par from a bunker at No. 12, hits a 4-foot wedge for a birdie in par-5 13, saves the par with another 15-footer in the next hole, and hits his best shot at 16 to 4 feet.
“I had to get crushed and go to work, and I did,” Woods said. “Hopefully, I can get a hot weekend and you never know.”
Hot is a popular term in these episodes, especially with memories of the 100-plus degree in August when PGA ended in the Southern Hills in 2007 and Woods won two. For Saturday, the temperature was forecast to be below 60.
To get a daily dose of the best breaking news and exclusive content from the Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter Click here!
