(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Indian golfer Rayhan Thomas bounced back strong at the Simmons Bank Open on the Korn Ferry Tour, overcoming a weather delay to shine in the first two rounds. Playing at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, US, Thomas carded a 5-under 65 in the opening round and followed it with a 4-under 66, putting him at tied-12th on the leaderboard with a total of 9-under par.
The weather interrupted his first round, but Thomas didn’t let it faze him. He racked up six birdies and just one bogey overall. Starting strong, he made birdies on holes 1, 3, 4, 9, 12, and 15, with his only slip-up on the 18th. In the second round, he kicked off on the back nine with birdies on 10, 12, 13, 16, and 17, plus one bogey on 15, before playing steady pars on the front nine.
This event marks the start of the exciting Korn Ferry Finals series, where the field gets smaller each week. A total of 156 players are competing here at the Simmons Bank Championship, but only 144 will advance to next week’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. The third stop, the Compliance Solutions Championship, drops to 120 players, and the season finale, the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, features just 75—no 36-hole cut there.
Fellow Indian-origin player Sudarshan Yellamaraju, an Indo-Canadian, struggled with two rounds of 2-over 72, finishing at 4-over and missing the cut. He’s hanging onto 13th in the rankings, and with the top 20 earning PGA Tour cards, he’s in a good spot to snag one. He still has chances to climb higher in the remaining Korn Ferry Tour events.
Thomas, on the other hand, made the cut and is pushing for a spot in the top 100 rankings. He’ll likely play the next two events, giving him a solid shot at keeping his tour card for next season.
Leading the pack at the halfway point is Austin Hitt, who’s flying high after a 4-under 66 in round one and a stunning 9-under 61 in the second— that’s 10 birdies and one bogey! He’s at 13-under overall. Hot on his heels, first-round leader Nelson Ledesma and Stuart Macdonald are tied for second at 12-under par.
As the Korn Ferry Tour heats up, keep an eye on Thomas and the race for those PGA Tour cards—it’s going to be a thrilling finish!
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