GREENSBORO, NC (AP) — John Huh wasn’t expecting the lowest run of his PGA Tour career on Thursday in the Wyndham Championship, and he had no complaints about the score or the timing.
Huh made seven of his eight birdie attempts from 10ft or closer and hit a 40ft eagle putt on the par-5 15th hole at Sedgefield for a 9-under 61, giving him a lead of two strokes over Sungjae Im in the regular season tournament finale.
“It’s a bit weird because like I mentioned earlier, I didn’t really feel good with my game and (to) shoot my career, it’s a bit weird,” Huh said. “Kind of mixed feelings, but I’ll take that any day.”
Huh needed a trick like this. He’s No. 120 in the FedEx Cup — with some wiggle room due to defectors from Saudi-funded LIV Golf — and only the top 125 advance to the lucrative playoffs next week and are guaranteed a full PGA Tour card for next season.
“I know what’s at stake, I know how important this tournament would be,” Huh said. “At the same time, you just have to go and play and I think I did that very well today.”
Im had two eagles in his round of 63. At a true FedEx Cup No. 15, he’s already ready for the playoffs and a good week could earn him a spot in the final at East Lake.
Peter Malnati and Brandon Wu were 64.
The group at 65, which includes Austin Smotherman, was much more relevant. He’s ranked No. 135 in the FedEx Cup, but he would count as No. 125 — the cutoff — because 10 players ahead of him were suspended for signing with LIV Golf.
Suspended players would be lined up to receive FedEx Cup bonus money without playing. The PGA Tour said last week that a player’s FedEx Cup placement would not be affected by those who switched to LIV Golf.
Smotherman only missed two greens and kept bogeys off his card. Three others at 65 – Ben Kohles (181), Cameron Percy (170) and Brian Stuard (148) were outside the top 125.
Also at 65 is Aaron Wise, who sits 34th in the standings and is looking to improve his ranking ahead of the lucrative FedEx Cup playoffs. Wise had a five-hole streak on the back nine which he played to par 5 under, including a 30-foot eagle putt on the 15th, until he missed the fairway and failed to reach not to save the par beyond the green at 18.
Will Zalatoris, ranked 14th in the world, the highest ranked player in the field, was hoping to break into the FedEx Cup top 10 and collect regular season bonuses. A two-time major runner-up this year, he started with a 71 and then had to worry about making the cut.
Rickie Fowler also shot a 71 in the afternoon. Fowler is No. 123 in the FedEx Cup — representing the players hanging ahead of him — and will likely have to make the cut to avoid missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
Huh now has three rounds of 62 or less on the PGA Tour — he had a 62 at Sedgefield in 2013 and a 62 at Las Vegas in 2016 — and made this one easy.
Starting on the fourth hole, he had five consecutive birdies, the longest at 10 feet. After his long eagle putt, he made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 17th.
“I hit it pretty close, I gave myself a chance,” Huh said. “The longest putt I made was for the eagle, but other than that, I put it about under 10 feet and did it all.”
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