Kiradech faces uphill battle after 73 at the Northern Trust
Jersey City - Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat stumbled to a 2-over 73 in the second round of US$9.75 million THE NORTHERN TRUST on Friday, knowing fully well he requires a good weekend to extend his run in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs.
The 30-year-old Asian star, who opened with a 67 on Thursday, carded a birdie against a bogey and double bogey at Liberty National Golf Club to slip to T61 with his two day total of 2-under 140.
American star Dustin Johnson shot a 67 to seize the halfway lead by one shot on 130, with Jordan Spieth trailing in second place in the first of three Playoffs event which the FedExCup champion will earn a US$15 million payday.
Playing in his first full season on the PGA TOUR, Kiradech entered the week in 76th place on the FedExCup points list and needs to finish in a projected 27th place this week to break into the top-70 and qualify for next week’s BMW Championship in Chicago.
After a strong start in the first round, the burly Thai struggled to cope in tougher windy conditions in his afternoon round and could have benefited with a behaving putter as he missed numerous opportunities.
“The golf course was much more difficult. When the winds pick up, it’s totally a different course here. I hit a lot of good shots but the putts didn’t want to drop, like in the last two holes where I left it like inches to the cup,” said Kiradech.
“I’ve still got a chance in the last two days to climb up the leaderboard and my aim is to finish top-25. The way I’m playing, I still have a chance. I know what I need to do and it depends on whether I can play my own game and if my body is strong enough to play the last two rounds. My knee is getting worse every day but I just need to keep fighting.”
