After making three birdies in a row, Alex Noren pondered whether he would make another. At the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, he added two more late in the second round on Friday, finishing with a 5-under 66 total to take a two-shot lead into the weekend.
After missing a putt on the 15th par-4, Noren went on to make a birdie on the 17th par-5, and he ended up breaking the tournament record at 15-under 127.
At Port Royal Golf Club, he was leading by two strokes over Ryan Moore (64), Satoshi Kodaira, and Ryan Brehm, who were all shooting 65s, as the wind started to at least raise some questions.
With one notable exception, Noren thought he played pretty much the same as when he opened with a 61 on Thursday.
“The wedges had a lot of tap-ins yesterday and came up fifteen feet as opposed to five. There is a good deal of slope and grain on the greens. After I kind of rolled in the first three birdies, it got a bit more difficult.” he said.
One day after feeling he could hardly keep the ball on the course, Moore played without making any bogeys, thanks to his excellent putting. That provided him a boost of confidence that persisted throughout the second round ; that he didn’t need to hit it very well to score well.
Time is of the essence. Former Ryder Cup competitor Moore is ranked No. 140 in the FedExCup rankings. Next week marks the completion of the PGA TOUR season, with the top 125 players maintaining full-status cards. It’s time for athletes like Moore to perform.
“Surely, now is the moment to act upon it or not?Luckily, I’ve been doing better and feeling a little better this week. I’ve gained some confidence in the last few weeks; you want to see that various aspects of my game are beginning to perform better. I hope it remains that way.” Moore said.
Brehm’s score was 64–65, and he can only hope that this is an island-to-island repeat. Prior to winning the Puerto Rico Open in 2022, the native of Michigan had never finished in the top 10 on the PGA TOUR. Since then, he hasn’t had a top 10.
Though another unexpected win would send him back to Kapalua to begin the year and to the Masters for the first time, he is already exempt for the next year.
Camilo Villegas, who finished third in Mexico the previous week, was three strokes down in the group with a 63. The Colombian dropped to No. 147 from No. 223 the previous week. Next year, the top 150 will have conditional status, but Villegas now has an incentive to earn a full card.
“As with last week, we open with two excellent rounds. We’re just halfway there after two excellent rounds, but we’ll keep playing.” Villegas said.
Among those at 11-under 131 was former Open Championship holder Stewart Cink, who turned 50 this year and has played on the PGA TOUR Champions. Cink shot 67.
Adam Scott played in the morning and shot 67 to get to within 5 shots of the lead, along with NCAA champion Fred Biondi, who had a 64.
When Noren made 11 consecutive pars after making 3 straight birdies, he remained composed.
“Having a strong round the day before helps. It’s not that you’re struggling or getting frustrated; rather, it’s more like, “What am I doing differently? Should I start asking Caddie for the reads, or am I trying too hard? He occasionally assists me with the reads, but it’s probably best if I simply trust my gut and feel the putts. I spent yesterday doing just that. Just persevere through it.” he said
