AVONDALE, La. — PGA Tour rookies Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo shot a 3-under 69 in alternate-shot play Friday to stay atop the leaderboard within the Zurich Traditional, the place defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are six strokes again.
Salinda and Velo have been at 17-under 127 general after breaking the event better-ball report with a 58 on Thursday within the tour’s solely workforce occasion. Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin have been a stroke again after a 66 in breezy circumstances at TPC of Louisiana.
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“Total, actually strong,” Velo mentioned. “I believe we performed actually to our strengths at the moment. We each missed a pair brief ones that type of led to our bogeys, however moreover that, we performed fairly flawless. We feed off one another actually simply, and I understand how to membership off him, and we’re speaking by means of photographs on the market.”
The groups will play higher ball Saturday and alternate shot Sunday.
“Tomorrow, we simply preserve enjoying how we’re enjoying, set ourselves up for Sunday and provides ourselves a shot,” Salinda mentioned. “I believe alternate shot is type of our power.”
Enjoying the again 9 first, Salinda and Velo made the flip at 1 over, then rallied with 4 birdies on the simpler entrance.
Novak is coming off a playoff loss final week to Justin Thomas within the RBC Heritage, his second straight top-three end.
“There was actually just one gap on the market I felt like we have been in bother at any level actually,” Novak mentioned. “Our brief video games type of maintain a whole lot of missteps. However a whole lot of good placing, and 7 birdies at the moment. That is actually robust for alternate shot.”
McIlroy, making his first begin since successful the Masters, and Lowry have been tied for sixteenth at 11 below after a 69.
The Irish stars eagled the par-5 second and performed the primary 12 holes in 6 below. They have been 3 over on the final six, dropping strokes on the par-4 thirteenth, par-3 seventeenth and par-5 18th.
Danish similar twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard have been third at 15 below after a 70. They shot 59 on Thursday.
Jacob Bridgeman and Chandler Phillips had a 68 to get to 14 below.
