At the halfway point of the Mexico Open at Vindanta, Tony Finau holds a one-shot lead, and world No. 1 Jon Rahm has recovered from a mid-round hiccup to remain in the running.
Following a seven-under 64 in the second round at Vidanta Vallarta, Finau improved to 13 under par, one shot ahead of fellow countryman Brandon Wu and South African Erik van Rooyen.
Starting on the back nine, the world’s No. 16 took advantage of the par-five 12th and 14th holes before making three straight birdies starting at the 16th to get to the turn in 31.
Finau reached eight under for the round after a 30-foot birdie at the par-three fifth, a two-putt gain at the following par-five, and a shot at the driveable par-four seventh. His sole bogey occurred when he three-putted the subsequent hole, bringing him to eight under overall.
Finau said, “I played really well over the past couple of days and was able to convert with the putter on shots that I struck pretty close. The fact that I hit it well was perhaps the greatest story, but I was also able to capitalise with the putter, which is crucial out here.”
Wu overcame a bogey on the first hole to birdie four of his final five holes and match Finau’s score of 64. Van Rooyen finished with a second-round score of 66 and is also tied for second going into the weekend.
Austin Smotherman, the first-round leader, fell four strokes behind Akshay Bhatia, Andrew Putnam, Will Gordon, and Eric Cole. Former major champion Jimmy Walker was one further stroke back after shooting a bogey-free 67.
Rahm, who was going for his fifth victory of 2023, scored a two-putt birdie at the par-four after sinking a long-range eagle at the sixth, but he ran into water off the ninth tee and finished with a double-bogey.
After beginning his back nine with a bogey, the Spaniard made birdies on three of his following four holes. He then made a par at the last hole to make up for a bogey at the 16th and move to within six shots of the lead.
Rahm said, “For a round that was generally nice, there were two or three swings that were terrible that cost me a little bit too much today. I’ve made a few unforced mistakes this week that have so far cost me more than they should have.
“I don’t think I’m playing badly, but I think I’ve given some of the leaders a few more shots and that’s why I’m quite a distance away,” the golfer said.
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