After 36 holes at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, the top of the leaderboard is very diverse.
Stefan Jaeger (Germany) took the sole lead at 12 under thanks to a birdie-eagle finish on the Nordschleife. Jaeger, who shot an 8-under 64 on Friday, maintains a one-shot advantage over Denmark's Nikolaj Højgaard.
Meanwhile, Heigaard shot a 6-under 66 on the North Course, which is 2.6 strokes easier than the South Course, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2008 and 2021.
“It's definitely a little bit easier,” Hoigaert, who played on the European Ryder Cup team, said of the Nordschleife.
“But you can hit good scores on the South course if you stay in the fairway. There are stronger par-5s. [on the South]. [They are] If it is longer than that, it will not reach you. [as often] Like they do in the north. ”
The thick, steep, wet rough that runs along Torrey Pines South gives the course “U.S. Open-like” conditions, according to some players.
Still, Messrs. Huygaard and Yeager appear to have had little trouble in the South.
The young Danish star shot his worst round of the day, a 5-under 67, on the South Course in Wednesday's first round. He drives the ball beautifully and earned more strokes off the tee than anyone else on Wednesday.
Finding the fairway is the secret to success at Torrey Pines, and like Hoygaard, Yeager has been through a lot.
“I've been driving the fairway quite a bit,” said the 36-year-old German.
“When I miss, I feel like I did a good job because I missed in the right place, or I was able to chase something, or it was easier up and down than in the rough or out of the rough” something. “
Making fewer mistakes is part of the winning formula on the South Course, where all 79 competitors competed this weekend.
Among them are Mathieu Pabon (France) and Thomas Detry (Belgium), who will enter the third round in a tie for third place with a total of 10 under.
Pavon, who, like Heigo, earned his PGA Tour card this year through the DP World Tour, hit the South Course hard on Thursday, posting a 7-under 65. The Frenchman currently has the lower round of the round and has made eight birdies. Previous US Open layout week.
“Overall it was a pretty good round, and my tee shot was very consistent. I didn't really fish the rough the last two days, but that was the key,” Pabon said.
“I’m happy to be able to come to America and show America that I can play golf.”
Detrie, on the other hand, has lived in the United States for years. He played collegiately at the University of Illinois and won the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
Last year, during his first full season on the PGA Tour, Detrie qualified for the FedEx Cup Playoffs but finished tied for 61st at the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Had he finished higher, he likely would have qualified for the BMW Championship and qualified for each signature event in 2024.
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However, the Belgian has a strong chance of securing a spot in all the signature events if he continues to win at Torrey Pines this week. It will definitely change his career for the better.
And sitting behind Pavon and Detrie are two popular American players, Tony Finau and Michael Kim.
“This is a fun place for me to come. The whole vibe, I mean, you have the beach in the background,” Finau said with a smile.
“I try to see the beach as often as I can. I try not to hit it, but some of the holes there put me in good spots.
Finau shot a 6-under 66 on the North Course, and Kim had an impressive 4-under 68 on the South Course.
England's Aaron Rai, Argentina's Emiliano Grillo and America's Joseph Bramlett are all on 8 under par, putting them within striking distance of a large group of players.
Broadcast of the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open begins Friday at 3pm ET on Golf Channel. CBS will begin broadcasting at 5 p.m. ET, with legendary announcer Jim Nantz calling the game remotely from Baltimore, site of Sunday's AFC Championship game.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
