Sepp Straka went on a seven-birdie run at Kapalua’s Plantation course on Friday.
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At Kapalua’s Plantation course on Friday, the favorable conditions made the scores very low. In fact, of the 59 players in the field, only two posted scores above par. Thirty-two players shot rounds of five under (68) or better, and a total of eight players carded a 64 – that’s nine under par!
Posting opening rounds of 69-65 (-12) will usually put you well in the mix on the leaderboard. But this week, Sepp Straka is still outside the top 10 after 36 holes, trailing leader Hideki Matsuyama by four shots. But Straka found a big difference on Friday, making an incredible seven consecutive birdies on the back nine before ending his run with a par on the 17th.
“Well, I like turkey, so I made three in a row on 12, and I was pretty happy about that,” Straka said after his round. “Then he birdied 13, 14, 15, which was good, so I thought about six in a row, I didn’t get to seven, but, yeah, I got hot there with the irons and I hit a good shot and he can make putts.”
When the series finally ended on the par-4 17th hole, Straka said his playing partner, Patton Kizzire, was more disappointed than he was.
“I put in 17 and missed it, he told me right away that he was upset with me,” said Straka.
So what happened?
“I hit it 20 feet and missed the putt,” Straka said.
Follow-up: Did that hurt you?
He said: “It was very painful. “It was difficult, but I will pass.
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“[Playing partners Kizzire and Stephan Jaegar] they were both very disappointed in my finish (laughs).”
Making seven birdies in a row is a feat (the PGA Tour record is nine in a row), and one Straka says he can’t remember ever doing before.
“I haven’t got eight yet so I think seven is the best for me,” he said.
Although Straka had to convert seven putts to keep the streak alive, he attributed the birdie barrage to stellar iron play.
“I was hitting my shot too close,” he said. “10 I hit it until it reached five feet. 11 I hit it ten feet. I only get within 10 feet. That can be difficult with the wind out here, it wasn’t that windy today, but it’s also hard to find where it’s coming from, so it’s hard to get it within 10 meters, and I was able to do it. to be there for a while.”
Although he is currently a runner-up in the leaderboard, when the goals are this low, anything can happen over the course of two rounds.
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