American Golfer Scott Piercy birdied one of his six holes left in the second round of the PGA tour on Saturday to establish a three shot lead and complete a 5- under 67 in the rain-delayed Safeway Open.
Piercy had to do with making three birdies because of his weak showing at the end of Silverado in which he stroked a pair of par 5s. At the end of Silverado, he made Par on both holes and saw himself three ahead of Paul Casey (68) and Johnson Wagner (67).
However, the best finish on the opening day of the new season of the PGA tour belonged to the debutant JT Poston. He scored an 8-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth, which gave him a 69 and moved the cut line to 3-under 141.
Englishman Paul Casey could have had a different faith had he not taken his shot through the oak tree. He went for the green in two on the par-5 18th and sent it sailing through the oak tree. Casey was finding it hard to find the ball while the clock was running down. Luckily for him, an honest spectator found the ball for him.
The ball was in the hazard for which Casey took a penalty stroke, after which he got free relief from grandstands and pitched up to 2 feet to save par.
Casey is down to his final three tournaments to cap a strong year which only lacks a victory. He will be in Malaysia on Sunday night before going to China.
Piercy started with and held his lead the whole way. He was in a stunning form as he was making birdies from everywhere. He relied mostly on his full swing which might be the reason behind his secret.
While Piercy was as near as 12 feet in the second round he had further chances of adding to his list of birdies. Unfortunately for him, he failed to add up to his list of birdies inside the 12 feet.
In the post match interview, Scott Piercy said “I’ve been striking the ball pretty well for a few months now. If the putter can kind of tag along and some of what the ball striking is doing, I think we’re in good shape”.