At Sedgefield Country Club’s par-3 16th hole Thursday afternoon, Cook suffered one of the worst hole-in-one horseshoes you’ll ever see.

Say it ain’t so … ?

The most BRUTAL near-ace you may ever see.

You’ve been warned. pic.twitter.com/2g3Bwmi6NQ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 12, 2021

That video should come with an NSFW warning.

Cook did make birdie, but Cook needs every bit of help he can get. Entering the week at No. 134 in the FedEx Cup standings, the 30-year-old needs to finish 11th or better at the Wyndham to make the playoffs. Moreover, Cook has no exempt status next season, meaning he needs that high standing to avoid a trip to the Korn Ferry Tour postseason.

There’s no rooting in the press box, but whatever Cook’s fate may be, we hope it’s not decided by a shot.

The post This is one of the worst near-aces you’ll ever see appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Sam Weinman
The most entertaining sequence of the final round of the Players Championship did not involve the eventual winner, Rory McIlroy. It didn’t even feature a memorable golf shot, or at least not a particularly good one.

Instead, it was a roughly 60-second back and forth between Jon Rahm and caddie Adam Hayes that resulted in Rahm dunking his approach shot on the par-5 11th hole into the water, costing the Spaniard a final-round lead that was never recovered. There’s a reason why player-caddie exchanges are so compelling when caught on camera, and it’s because they point to a layer of intricacy in tournament golf most players don’t even consider.

But that’s just the outside perspective. Even more intriguing is when it’s seen through the eyes of another pro caddie, who has to factor in all the delicate considerations of what can be a tenuous employee-employer relationship. To understand the Hayes-Rahm interplay on the 11th hole, we consulted veteran caddie Kip Henley, currently working for Austin Cook, to help unpack a crucial moment in what he calls the “mental warfare” of final round competition.

First, a refresher: after a sluggish start to the final round, Rahm arrived at the short par-5 11th tied for the lead. When he drove into a left fairway bunker, he and Hayes were left with a choice: either try to draw the ball around the trees and over the water preceding the green with his second shot or prudently lay up and try to wedge something in tight with his third.

In the ensuing exchange, Hayes was unambiguous with his preference: he wanted Rahm to forget about the green and just lay up short. And as Henley noted, it was undoubtedly the right call. He calls Hayes one of the best caddies in the game— smart, confident, and a good player in his own right—but in this instance, expertise was secondary to common sense. The shot Rahm was contemplating was difficult under normal circumstances, but even more so with the wind gusting and one of the biggest prizes in golf on the line.

“Ninety-eight per cent of America looks at that and knows Adam was making the right call,” Henley said. “Birdie is great, but par doesn’t kill you, and a good caddie is able to look at the situation without as much emotion as the player.”

So Hayes does fight—at least to a point. As Henley said, the odds are always stacked against a caddie when a player digs in his heels as well. He says a caddie wins these arguments about 10 per cent of the time, so at some point, a caddie has to contemplate caving. That’s what you’re seeing when Rahm starts explaining why he doesn’t feel comfortable laying up because it will leave him an awkward lie. At that point, it doesn’t matter that Hayes is still in the right. He knows he can’t win.

“The whole time you’re fighting you better be aware where your guy is leaning because if you know he’s not coming over, you need to start backpedalling,” Henley says. “You then need to make him feel like it’s a good decision. Everybody does that. You read your guy, and you find a way to change your tune.”

Sure enough, Hayes doesn’t say much more as Rahm ultimately opts for the more aggressive shot. And he sure doesn’t say anything after the shot ends up disastrously in the water. In another context—the corporate world, married life—there might be a level of satisfaction in proclaiming you were right all along. With a caddie and a player, you go out of your way to say just the opposite.

“The one thing you don’t do is let it hang out there,” Henley says. “You remind him that he did what he think was right, and that it was a good decision. Maybe he lets it hang over him, but your job is to try to get him to turn the page.”

In the aftermath of the final round, after Rahm shot 76 to finish T-11, he was summarily criticized for his insistence on going for the 11th green. Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee called it the most “baffling” decision in Players history. But Rahm had his reasons and said he felt confident over the shot until Hayes introduced a morsel of doubt in his head.

“When I first got to the ball, I was really sure I could do it,” he said. “If you give me 10 balls, besides that one, I’ll hit the other nine on land.”

With another caddie, that could spell the beginning of the end. But Hayes and Rahm are said to have a strong enough bond that it will weather the trials of Sunday. Besides, Rahm probably can’t protest too much when deep down he knows his caddie was right.

The post A veteran tour caddie explains the delicate dance of disagreeing with your player appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Leaked letter hints big changes coming to Augusta National’s 13th hole

Such was the case on Tuesday when former PGA Tour pro turned swing coach Bradley Hughes tweeted out the following image of players teeing off Augusta National’s iconic par-5 13th circa 60 years ago:

13th tee Augusta National- approx 60 years ago pic.twitter.com/ber1qjIpGO

— Bradley Hughes (@bhughesgolf) December 4, 2018

By the way, Hughes’ Twitter feed is a treasure trove of archival photos and videos, including this one, which makes No. 13 look like another hole altogether. Caddie Kip Henley, whose current employer, Austin Cook, made his Masters debut earlier this year, certainly thinks so:

Almost standing in the creek ! The tee is 60 yards further now and way more to the left. https://t.co/uteY5gcb1t

— Kip Henley PGA loopr (@KipHenley) December 4, 2018

Since it’s off limits to fans and media, the 13th tee box (along with the 12th green in front of it) is one of the most sacred — and quiet — pieces of real estate in professional golf. But TV viewers gets to see players tee off, and Masters.com provides a flyover of the hole, which begins at the 2:50 mark here:

How to play Amen Corner, with @TigerWoods. #themasters pic.twitter.com/Q7tUjYAifn

— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 8, 2018

Looks pretty different, huh? With a revised angle and the addition of (tall) trees down the left, today’s pros hitting driver really need to shape their tee shots from right-to-left to avoid ending up in the trees and pine straw through the fairway. Or, they can just try what Bubba did in 2014 when he flew the dogleg altogether and resulted in an easy birdie on his way to capturing a second green jacket:

At least, until the long-rumoured changes to the hole take place.

The post You won’t believe how different Augusta National’s 13th tee shot looks now compared to 60 years ago appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

And yes, people rolled their eyes at Earl Woods when he predicted Tiger would win 14 majors before he even turned pro, but guess what? Woods actually won FOURTEEN majors. So far, the biggest news surrounding any of LaVar’s overexposed offspring is that one got arrested for shoplifting in China. Maybe it’s time to cool it on those prognostications.

Anyway, as you can see, LaVar is featured prominently in our video, “The Biggest Sports Turkeys Of 2017,” but we’re sticking to golf here because there’s plenty to chew on as we head into Thanksgiving. Let’s dive in.

WE’RE BUYING
Austin Cook: This former Monday qualifying sensation finally has a full season to impress on the PGA Tour and wasted little time with his maiden victory at the RSM Classic. It’s tough to play much better than Cook, who only missed 12 greens all week and got up-and-down on 11 of those occasions. “Yeah, I slept terrible last night,” Cook said of having the 54-hole lead. Well, he can rest easier knowing he’s basically got three more seasons of fully exempt status. Although falling asleep in Augusta this April might be a challenge.

John Rahm: So much for that “controversy” surrounding Rahm being named European Tour Rookie of the Year. By winning the tour’s season finale, he jumped to No. 3 on the season-long Race to Dubai list and to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Ranking. All this just a week after turning 23. Combine Rahm’s season with what Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth have done in recent months and it’s not a stretch to say that the three best golfers in the world right now are all 24 or younger. Also, congrats to Tommy Fleetwood for hanging on to win the Race to Dubai. Good thing he got one of those under his belt, because at 26 he’s practically a fossil.

Lexi Thompson’s 2017: The numbers don’t lie, this was the best year of Thompson’s career so far. She “only” won twice, but she claimed the Vare Trophy for best scoring average on the LPGA and she also captured the season-long Race to the Globe title thanks to a runner-up at the season finale. But. . . Yeah. . .

WE’RE SELLING
Lexi Thompson’s final par putt of 2017: That was rough to watch. A (maybe) two-footer for likely the win and the honor of LPGA Player of the Year and. . . well, you know. Of course, you also know what happened to her at the season’s first major when a belated four-shot penalty cost her that title. Those are two pretty rough things to happen in one year to the same person. The $1 million bonus should soften the blow a bit, though.

Sam Greenwood

Unfortunately, the whole situation short-changed Ariya Jutanugarn, who birdied four of her final six holes, including draining the winning 25-footer moments after Lexi’s miss. As excited as we are about the sub-25 stars in men’s golf, the women’s game has even more.

This “ban golf” piece: Criticizing someone else’s writing is risky if you don’t have any Pulitzers to your name, but Joel Beall did a nice job here deconstructing this terrible column that trashes golf. Golf is by no means perfect — and neither is the writing of Joel or myself — but if you’re going to knock an entire sport and all those who play it without any facts and by drawing absurd parallels to serial killers, you deserve to be ripped.

Brandt Snedeker’s new diet: We’re happy Snedeker is back after an extended break due to a rare (for a golfer) sternum joint injury, but we’re saddened by the new diet he’s been advised to obey. His two main eating rules now are no sugar and no carbs, which means there’s not a single food in the world he can enjoy anymore. “A miserable, kind of boring diet to say the least,” Snedeker told reporters at the RSM Classic. Poor bastard.

ON TAP
The PGA Tour heads to. . . wait a minute, the PGA Tour is off! And so is the LPGA! Despite just wrapping up its season finale, though, the European Tour gets cranking on its next season right away with the UBS Hong Kong Open. The Race to Dubai never stops!

Random tournament fact: Miguel Angel Jimenez became the oldest Euro Tour winner ever at this event in 2012. And then he broke his own record the following year at 49 years, 337 days. What a stud.

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK
— Miguel Angel Jimenez is cutting anything out of his diet in 2018: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds
— Tiger Woods will win a major in 2018: 20-to-1 odds (Actual odds)
— Brandt Snedeker would cry at the sight of a delicious deep-fried turkey: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Sorry Lexi, but we still can’t believe you missed this putt:

Tim Bradbur

OK, that’s it. No more Lexi or LaVar talk for the rest of this post. Moving on to happier things. . .

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK
The European Tour continues to pump out incredible video content, this time convincing a foursome of players to try to hit a two-yard-wide fairway set up in the middle of the Dubai desert. We don’t feel bad blowing the ending and telling you Ross Fisher managed to hit the sliver of green turf, because you should watch anyway:

The Two Yard Fairway ? pic.twitter.com/DjsW8oWv0z

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 17, 2017

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TERRIFYING DIVISION)
When turkeys attack on the golf course:

If you golf during the week of Thanksgiving, do so at your own risk! ?: @daaavidfried

A post shared by Golf Channel (@golfchannel) on Nov 20, 2017 at 7:02am PST

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I feel there’s a huge gap between us. I don’t know whether it’s a lack of practice or whether I lack the strength to keep playing well. It seems there are many issues to address.” – Hideki Matsuyama on Brooks Koepka, who won the Japan Tour’s Dunlop Phoenix Open by nine shots. Deep breaths, Hideki. You’re still only 25. And you’re still ranked fifth in the WORLD.

THIS WEEK IN PGA TOUR PROS LIVING THE LIFE
Here’s Justin Thomas and girlfriend Jillian Wisniewski sitting in court-side seats at a Chicago Bulls game:

2017 @PGATOUR Player of the Year @JustinThomas34 in the house! pic.twitter.com/9MaawkaQIP

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) November 18, 2017

And Thomas might get asked back soon after the Bulls scored 40 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Hornets 123-120, just their third win of the season.

Y’all were great hosts.. Thanks for showing @jillian_grace3 and I a great time. Heck of a game too! https://t.co/GXIx9TvXeJ

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) November 18, 2017

We’re guessing JT will also be at the big Alabama-Auburn football game this week. Winning a major championship has its perks.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY BELEN MOZO-ROBERT FARAH PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION
Remember that one-week social media break Belen said she was taking? Well, it lasted all of five days. Mozo shared these photos of her and boyfriend, professional tennis player Robert Farah, frolicking on a beach:

In our free time we are acrobats ??‍- currently applying for cirque de soleil - – – – – #mexico #puertoescondido #beach #fitnessmotivation @robertfarah

A post shared by Belen Mozo (@belenmozo) on Nov 17, 2017 at 4:23pm PST

Easy to see who wear the pants in the relationship… Se vé fácil quien lleva las riendas en la relación… ? credit, the one & only: @stephan_ach Special effect daddy credits to : @ptorres @robertfarah @casainspiracion @eberjey ? – – – – #girlboss #athletes #couplegoals #mexico #puertoescondido #casainspiracion #fit #fitcouple

A post shared by Belen Mozo (@belenmozo) on Nov 19, 2017 at 1:55pm PST

Cool visual effect. Also, this is strictly a hunch, but these two probably will eat a little healthier than I do on Thanksgiving.

THIS AND THAT
Roger Federer moved ahead of Tiger Woods on Forbes’ ranking of the all-time prize money earners in an individual sport. Of course, Woods has still made over $1 BILLION more than Federer in total earnings, so we’re guessing he’s not too upset about it. . . . A photographer who fished Andrew “Beef” Johnston’s 3-wood out of a watery grave at the RSM Classic was told he could keep it by the affable Brit. Christmas come early! . . . Country music star Jake Owen has accepted a sponsor’s invite to play in next year’s Nashville Golf Open on the Web.com Tour. Good luck topping Stephen Curry’s pair of 74s at the Ellie Mae Classic, Jake. . . . And finally, I attended my first Knicks game in some time and was especially excited to see this new option at MSG concession stands:

Sure, the cup cost $9.25, but free refills?! For the entire game?! What a great night. Oh yeah, the Knicks also won.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER
— How much does Fred Couples miss the Skins Game?
— What’s Tiger’s favorite Thanksgiving side?
—  Do I have a soda problem?

The post Lexi Thompson’s painful miss, Justin Thomas’ sweet seats, Belen Mozo’s bikini barrage, and the most terrifying turkey attack ever appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By E. Michael Johnson
Austin Cook won the RSM Classic for his first PGA Tour victory in just his 14th start by flashing an incredibly steady tee-to-green game and a deft touch on the greens to win by four shots at the Seaside Course at Sea Island.

Cook hit an impressive 85.71 percent of his fairways (tied for four-best in the field) and 83.33 percent of his greens in regulation (ranked second). Off the tee Cook used Ping’s new G400 LST driver—a low-spin version of the G400. Interestingly, his set of Ping S55 irons starts at the 5-iron, allowing Cook to carry a trio of Ping Glide 2.0 wedges—two standard sole clubs and a wide sole in the 60-degree wedge. On the greens Cook posted a solid 1.126 strokes gained/putting mark (ranked 13th for the week) with a Ping Sigma G Tyne mallet. Cook used those clubs to post four rounds in the 60s, making just two bogeys over the 72 holes.

Austin Cook’s clubs and ball at the RSM Classic

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Driver: Ping G400 LST (Fujikura Speeder Evo 661X), 8.5 degrees

3-wood: Ping G400 Stretch, 13 degrees

Hybrids: Ping G400 (19, 22 degrees)

Irons (5-PW): Ping S55

Wedges: Ping Glide 2.0 (50, 56, 60 degrees)

Putter: Ping Sigma G Tyne

The post The clubs Austin Cook used to win the RSM Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Brian Wacker
Part of the beauty of golf, particularly at the highest level, is that there are all sorts of ways to play a hole. Or in the case of Austin Cook, who won Sunday’s RSM Classic by four strokes over J.J. Spaun, a few different paths to make it to the big stage.

Unlike other sports, it’s rare when a successful college golfer goes straight to the bigs. Cook, a Southeastern Conference All-Freshman for Arkansas in 2010, an All-American the following year and a fixture in the Razorbacks lineup with nine career top-10s before turning pro in 2014, took a circuitous, and at times testing, route to finally getting his card for the 2017-’18 season.

In his first year playing pro and with limited Web.com Tour status, he opted for the mini-tour circuit. In nine starts, he finished in the top 10 five times and missed just one cut on the Adams Tour.

The following year, he was a couple of strokes inside the number at Web.com Tour Q-school at PGA National when he had a Top Gun worthy crash-and-burn, finishing bogey-bogey-quadruple bogey-double. Oof.

Then last year, Hurricane Matthew roared toward the northeast coast of Florida and the Web.com Tour Championship. The decision was made to cancel the event, meaning the money list would revert back to the previous week. Cook missed getting a card by $425. Double oof.

Cook is hardly the first—or last—guy to take a roundabout route, but along the way he had already proven that he belonged. By 2015, he’d made nine starts in PGA Tour events, five of those coming via Monday qualifying, where it usually takes a score in the low-to-mid 60s to advance. He also nabbed a couple of top-10s in two of those starts to earn a spot in the field the following week.

That kind of guile was not all that dissimilar to another player who had Monday qualified a handful of times before becoming a five-time winner, Ryder Cup stud and top-10 player in the world—Patrick Reed. All those Mondays hardened and honed Cook’s game, too.

At Sea Island, Cook opened 68-62, led the field in strokes gained: tee-to-green, got up-and-down 11 of 12 times, made just two bogeys all week (his first not coming until the 50th hole) and hit the pedal when things briefly got tight on Sunday.

After starting the windswept day with a three-stroke lead, Cook’s lead was twice cut to just one by Spaun with the last coming after a birdie on the par-4 16th. Cook, though, birdied three of his last four, to cruise. His 21-under 262 total was a stroke off tying the tournament record and he also held off a pack of veteran winners that included Brian Gay, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner and Brian Harman.

“You always grow up thinking that you can do it, but actually being able to get the job done and perform and hold all the nerves down and still put in a good round especially in these conditions and on this golf course,” Cook said. “I’m just so happy.”

With good reason. After earning his card by finishing 20th on last season’s Web.com Tour money list, the 26-year-old rookie is headed to Maui for the Sentry Tournament of Champions when the season resumes the first week of January. He’s also in his first Masters, having twice been there before as a spectator in 2008 and 2012 and telling himself he wasn’t going back until he was playing in it.

“I’ve been close on the Web a couple times but haven’t been able to get the job done, and to be able to do it on the biggest stage in the world, it definitely boosts my confidence and lets me know that I can play with these guys,” Cook said. “I’ve told myself all along, and for it to actually come true, it’s amazing.”

So too are the paths some players take to success. They come in all forms.

The post Austin Cook’s circuitous route to the PGA Tour and victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
After making just one bogey over his first 54 holes, Austin Cook made his second of the week at the par-4 second hole on Sunday at the RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Ga. Just like that, his three-shot lead had shrunk to one, and suddenly the pressure was on for the PGA Tour rookie with just 13 career starts.

Instead of letting one slip away, Cook showed experience beyond his years, posting a final-round three-under 67 without dropping another shot on his final 16 holes. His 21-under 261 total at Sea Island Golf Club was good enough for a four-shot victory, the first of his career on the PGA Tour.

The former University of Arkansas All-American made just one birdie on his first 14 holes, opening the door for those within striking distance. But Cook slammed it shut on the last four holes, making birdie at the 15th, 17th and 18th to finish in style. His 23 birdies this week were more than anyone else in the field.

Cook, 26, had very little experience on the PGA Tour entering the week, but made the most of his limited chances. In 2015, he played in seven events, three of which he Monday qualified for, and finished inside the top 25 five times, including a T-6 at the Barbasol Championship. Sunday’s win comes in the fourth start of his first full season as a member of the tour, and earns him exemptions into the Masters, the Players Championship and the PGA Championship, among others.

Finishing four back at 17-under 265 was J.J. Spaun, who carded a four-under 66. Spaun had closed the gap thanks to a four under start on his opening 10 holes, but ran into some troubles on the home nine, dropping shots at the 11th and 17th holes. The solo second finish is his best on the PGA Tour, coming in just his 36th career start.

Through 14 holes, Brian Gay was even par for the round and 14-under for the tournament, a total that would have put him in five-way tie for third. But Gay jumped up the leader board with two eagles on his final four holes, including a 161-yard hole out from the fairway at the par-4 18th to post a two-under 68. He finished in solo third at 16-under 266, giving him his best result since last season’s Barbasol Championship, where he tied for third.

Brian Harman, Kevin Kisner, Andrew Landry and Chris Kirk tied for fourth at 14-under 268.

The post Austin Cook shoots 67, wins RSM Classic by four, his first PGA Tour victory appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
After opening with rounds of 66 and 62 at Sea Island Golf Club, the only place to go was down for Austin Cook, a PGA Tour rookie making just his 14th career start at the RSM Classic. Surely, he would fade and make room for a few PGA Tour champions like Kevin Kisner and Chris Kirk to mount a charge on moving day.

Cook immediately quelled that notion on Saturday, making back-to-back birdies to open his round and extend his lead to two. From there it was smooth sailing, as he finished with a four-under 66 to get to 18-under 194, good enough for a three-shot lead heading into the final round in St. Simons Island, Ga.

The University of Arkansas alum didn’t make his third birdie until the par-5 seventh, but added another two holes later at the par 4, sticking his 185-yard approach shot to within five feet and holing the putt. He turned in four-under 31, and after a streak of four consecutive pars, Cook remarkably dropped his first shot of the week, ending his run of 44 holes without a bogey. He was able to get it back on the following hole, the par-5 15th, for his final birdie of the day.

Cook has found himself in this position thanks to some stellar iron play, hitting more than 87 percent of his greens in regulation for the week, which ranks him solo second in the field. Another precise round on Sunday could lead to Cook’s first professional victory on any tour, and anything inside the top five would give him his best career finish on the PGA Tour.

Kirk appeared to knock himself out of contention on Friday, posting an even-par 70 and falling five strokes off the pace. But the four-time tour winner made a big move on Saturday, carding a six-under 64 that featured seven birdies and a bogey. His three-round total of 15-under 197 has already eclipsed his 14-under overall total that won him the RSM Classic in 2013 for his second career victory.

“I’m just really comfortable here, I love Sea Island, I lived here for six-and-a-half years, so I’ve played the golf course a lot,” he said. It’s that local knowledge that has Kirk feeling confident about Sunday, even with windy conditions in the forecast.

“I’ve played this course in every direction and velocity of the wind possible. I bet I’ve got 300-plus rounds in on the Seaside (course). Not saying that’ll make me do any better, but I’ll know what to expect.”

If Kirk can catch Cook and win on Sunday, he’ll become the first two-time RSM Classic winner in the event’s eight-year history.

Sitting four back at 14-under 198 is Brian Gay, who shot a one-under 69 with five birdies, two bogeys and a costly double bogey at the short par-4 fifth. Gay, 45, is looking to win for the fifth time of his career on the PGA Tour.

The round of the day belonged to J.J. Spaun, who carded an eight-under 62 highlighted by a run of four straight birdies from the fifth through eighth holes. He’s in solo fourth at 13-under 199, one ahead of Kevin Kisner, who shot a five-under 65 to get into contention.

Two-time major champion Zach Johnson is also lurking at 10-under 202 thanks to a third-round six-under 64.

The post PGA Tour rookie Austin Cook takes three-shot lead into final round of The RSM Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Christopher Powers
When it comes to PGA Tour careers, you won’t find two on more opposite ends of the spectrum than those of Brian Gay and Austin Cook. Gay, 45, has won four times and is making the 523rd start of his career at the RSM Classic, while Cook, 26, is making just his 14th career start, and the fourth of his rookie campaign. After two rounds at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga., the veteran sits one shot back of the rookie, who has the solo lead at 14-under 128.

Gay’s round began at the par-4 10th of the club’s Seaside course, and he went to work in the windy conditions early, making four birdies on his first seven holes en route to a front nine, three-under 32. He backed it up with another 32 on the home nine, this one bogey-free for a six-under 64 to get to 13-under 129.

“Tough day today I thought, but I was able to hit a number of greens and stay out of trouble and the putter worked well,” Gay said.

The post Brian Gay posts second-round 64, is one back of leader Austin Cook at the RSM Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.