T1. Chris Kirk (-12)– How excellent is this story? From alcohol rehabilitation this time in 2015 to a win on the Korn Ferry Tour 2 weeks ago to a win on the PGA Tour? That would be insane and the story of the year so far on the PGA Tour. Kirk can keep this up, too. Hes putting it well so far, but hes hitting it simply. The statistical profile is sustainable, and I hope he sustains it because its a story worth rooting for on the weekend at Detroit Golf Club.
T1. Webb Simpson (-12)– Webb Simpson, best American player worldwide. How does it sound? Hes the guy to beat after 2 rounds, and he hasnt even discovered a hot putter yet (which is frightening). Hes been lights out with his irons and will jump to the top of the 2020 PGA Tour Player of the Year race.
T3. Matthew Wolff (-11)– There are no concerns about the skill level, rather his capability to sustain it at a high level for four days, 4 weeks or four months at a time. He stated his greatest struggle this season has remained in his head.
“When Im striking it great … I feel like I was truly caring too much about the outcome and thinking about every little aspect on every single shot, dont short-side myself, was it a little into the wind, do I just desire to hit it in the middle of the green to try to eliminate bogeys. Ideally we get more of how he played on Friday this weekend at the Rocket Mortgage
Bryson DeChambeau, Seamus Power, Mark Hubbard, Ryan Armour, Richy Werenski (-11)– Bryson had extremely comparable days on Thursday and Friday. He began slow on his front 9 on both days and torched the back nine (31 on Thursday, 32 on Friday). A hot flat stick is saving him, but he requires to tighten it up from 125 yards and in if he wants to win this weekend.
T9. Kevin Kisner, Sepp Straka (-10)– Kisner will be a bear all weekend and will not be an easy out if hes in the mix on Sunday afternoon. I dont frequently view Kisner as someone poised to win a shootout; hes built much better for Open Championships, I would not wish to be next to him with the occasion on the line on Sunday either. If he wants to grab his 4th PGA Tour win, hell need to keep a hot hand on the greens (T14 so far).
Third from tee to green, 97th in putting. Thats a recipe for a 65-65 weekend and the success.
T55. Hideki Matsuyama (-5)– Ive been disappointed in how Matsuyama has actually played this week. I thought he d have an excellent week, but hes had a hard time more than you would anticipate from tee to green. The putter is constantly dicey (and has not been excellent on either Thursday or Friday), but I thought we d get more out of the irons than weve gotten so far. Obviously, hes also capable of going 64-64 to make things intriguing late on Sunday.
CBS Sports was with you the entire method updating this story with the most recent scores, updates and highlights from the Rocket Mortgage Classic listed below. Examine out the live ratings at the top of this story or a more in-depth leaderboard.
In a tournament like the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic with a dearth of stars, you arent ensured a leaderboard loaded with compelling storylines and enjoyable names to follow. Yet thats precisely what we got after 2 rounds at the Detroit Golf Club.
Tops amongst the stories heading into Round 3 is Chris Kirk, who dropped a 65 on Friday to take a co-lead with Webb Simpson. Hes had a tough 18-month run (more on that below), however we could be in for a sweet ending to this chapter of his life with a few more days like he had on Friday. Hell be gone after, too, by a bevy of big highly-ranked players and children attempting to climb up the world rankings.
Lets take an appearance at Round 2 and how it sets up for what need to be another excellent weekend.
Tops amongst the stories heading into Round 3 is Chris Kirk, who dropped a 65 on Friday to take a co-lead with Webb Simpson. From alcohol rehabilitation this time last year to a win on the Korn Ferry Tour two weeks ago to a win on the PGA Tour? Hopefully we get more of how he played on Friday this weekend at the Rocket Mortgage
Hell need to keep a hot hand on the greens (T14 so far) if he wants to grab his 4th PGA Tour win.
The putter is always dicey (and has not been really good on either Thursday or Friday), but I thought we d get more out of the irons than weve gotten therefore far.
