AVONDALE, La. — PGA Tour rookies Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo shot a 3-under 69 in alternate-shot play Friday to stay atop the leaderboard within the Zurich Basic, the place defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are six strokes again.
Salinda and Velo had been at 17-under 127 total after breaking the match better-ball file with a 58 on Thursday within the tour’s solely crew occasion. Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin had been a stroke again after a 66 in breezy circumstances at TPC of Louisiana.
“General, actually stable,” Velo mentioned. “I feel we performed actually to our strengths right this moment. We each missed a pair quick ones that sort of led to our bogeys, however apart from that, we performed fairly flawless. We feed off one another actually simply, and I understand how to membership off him, and we’re speaking by photographs on the market.”
The groups will play higher ball Saturday and alternate shot Sunday.
“Tomorrow, we simply preserve enjoying how we’re enjoying, set ourselves up for Sunday and provides ourselves a shot,” Salinda mentioned. “I feel alternate shot is sort of our power.”
Enjoying the again 9 first, Salinda and Velo made the flip at 1 over, then rallied with 4 birdies on the simpler entrance.
Novak is coming off a playoff loss final week to Justin Thomas within the RBC Heritage, his second straight top-three end.
“There was actually just one gap on the market I felt like we had been in bother at any level actually,” Novak mentioned. “Our quick video games sort of deal with a variety of missteps. However a variety of good placing, and 7 birdies right this moment. That is actually robust for alternate shot.”
McIlroy, making his first begin since profitable the Masters, and Lowry had been tied for sixteenth at 11 below after a 69.
The Irish stars eagled the par-5 second and performed the primary 12 holes in 6 below. They had been 3 over on the final six, dropping strokes on the par-4 thirteenth, par-3 seventeenth and par-5 18th.
Danish an identical twins Nicolai and Rasmus Hojgaard had been third at 15 below after a 70. They shot 59 on Thursday.
Jacob Bridgeman and Chandler Phillips had a 68 to get to 14 below.
