From a Correspondent
Bedminster, New Jersey: Henrik Stenson enters Sunday’s final round in New Jersey hoping to make his LIV Golf debut a successful one.
At the same time, the 4 Aces GC will hope to spoil the party while continuing their domination of the team competition.
In difficult scoring conditions at Bedminster on Saturday, Stenson (Majesticks GC) battled back from an early double bogey to shoot a 2-under 69 in the second round.
That moved the 46-year-old Swedish star to 9 under for a three-shot lead over 4 Aces GC captain Dustin Johnson.
Another shot back are two of Johnson’s teammates, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch, in a three-way tie for third with Carlos Ortiz (Fireballs GC).
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I was still focused and good attitude, and that’s what kept me in the ballgame,” said Stenson, who is seeking his 22nd career professional win.
“Pleased with the way I’ve kind of kept my head down and focused on business.”
Early setback
Stenson doubled on the par-4 third after an errant tee shot bounced off a cart path and into the bushes. After finding his ball and weighing his drop options, Stenson opted to hit another drive.
His double knocked him out of the lead, but he bounced back with an eagle at the par-5 eighth, then shot 2 under after the turn.
Johnson also shot a 69 to move up the leaderboard. Despite starting Sunday three strokes back, he thinks the challenging Trump National Golf Course means no lead is safe.
“Obviously he’s definitely in reach for sure, especially around this course,” Johnson said.
With winds gusting over 20 mph, the par-71 course played to nearly two strokes higher on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Aces, the player having the fewest problems was Gooch, who shot a bogey-free 7-under 64.
The only other player to shoot anything better than 2 under was Turk Pettit with a 67.
Solid advantage
With Gooch and Johnson providing the counting scores, Aces lead the team standings at 20 under, with Majesticks on 14 under. Fireballs GC are third on 7 under.
The top three sides are eligible for prize money from a $5 million team purse.
Three weeks ago, 4 Aces GC won by seven strokes in Portland after a lineup adjustment to add Reed, Gooch and Pat Perez.
“His guys have been playing unbelievable,” said Ortiz, who finished solo second in Portland and provided the birdie putt on the final hole that lifted Fireballs GC onto the podium in third place.
“Talor Gooch, 7-under today, I don’t know where he played. He didn’t play the same golf course as I did.”
Through two rounds, nobody has played it better than Stenson. He’s ready for one more day.
“I’m just going to focus on doing my best out there tomorrow,” he said, “and we’ll see where it takes us.” (courtesy livgolf.com)
Team leaderboard
| Team | Scores |
| 4 Aces GC (-20) | Talor Gooch 64 Dustin Johnson 69 |
| Majesticks GC (-14) | Henrik Stenson 69 Lee Westwood 69 |
| Fireballs GC (-7) | Carlos Ortiz 70 Sergio Garcia 70 |
| Iron Heads GC (-5) | Sadom Kaewkanjana 71 Phachara Khongwatmai 72 |
| Stinger GC (-4) | Charl Schwartzel 69 Louis Oosthuizen 71 |
| Niblicks GC (-3) | Turk Pettit 67 James Piot 73 |
| Cleeks GC (-1) | Martin Kaymer 71 David Puig 71 |
| Hy Flyers GC (-1) | Matthew Wolff 70 Phil Mickelson 73 |
| Crushers GC (E) | Paul Casey 71 Shaun Norris 74 |
| Smash GC (+1) | Chase Koepka 73 Jason Kokrak 75 |
| Punch GC (+3) | Travis Smyth 73 Matt Jones 73 |
| Torque GC (+6) | Jinichiro Kozuma 75 Ryosuke Kinoshita 76 |
Round 2 stats
Driving distance: Phachara Khongwatmai, 324.3 yards avg.
Longest drive: Phachara Khongwatmai, 368 yards (9th hole)
Driving accuracy: Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, 86% (12 of 14 fairways)
Greens in regulation: Jason Kokrak, 89% (16 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Carlos Ortiz, Talor Gooch, 100% (6 of 6)
Fewest putts: Talor Gooch, 23 putts
Also read: Reed, Stenson set Bedminster pace; Aces take team lead
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