Two relative unknowns share lead at Honda Classic
A pair of “who are these guys” sits atop the leaderboard after Friday’s second round of The Honda Classic.
To put it bluntly but with no malice, leaders Sungjae Im and Keith Mitchell can count their combined number of PGA Tour victories on no fingers. Neither can claim a single PGA Tour victory to brag about.
In addition, neither one has dealt with the experience and the pressure of being atop a PGA Tour leaderboard heading into the final two days. Now, they will be extended that opportunity to test their mettle Saturday and Sunday on the Champion Course at PGA National Resort & Spa.
However, both appear more than happy to put up with the pressure that comes with leading.
Im, 20 years old and from South Korea, said with a smile: “Just being out here has been a great experience.”
Mitchell, 27 years old and from Chattanooga, Tennessee, also said with a smile: “It’s just nice to kind of feel like you’re in contention and playing well and you’re out there actually trying to make birdies instead of trying to make a cut. There’s a big difference.”
Im started the day at even par after his 70 on Thursday and fashioned nines of 31 on the front and 33 on the back for a 6-under 64 and 134 total.
“I was hitting the ball really well,” Im said, “so most of my putts were under 10 feet . . . short putts.” And he routinely drained them.
Im came to the U.S. some two years ago. “It was for the second stage of Q-School,” he said. “Just seeing Americans in general was a new atmosphere for me and just getting use to the people here has been a new experience.”
Nevertheless, there was one American Im wanted to get to know well – well, at least he wanted to get to know his swing well. That gentleman would be a man named Tiger Woods. “Tiger is a player that I grew up watching, and I remember staying up late just seeing all the majors wins that he had,” Im said. “He has kind of an aura about him wherever you see him.”
In addition to liking Tiger, Im has become a big fan of American food, now listing pizza, pasta and hamburgers as his culinary favorites.
Mitchell, started his day at two-under and shot a 33-33—66 for his six-under total of 134 for two days.
Besides wanting to win a PGA Tour event, Mitchell, at 6-1 and 185 pounds, has one other big goal in life. He fantasizes about being a NFL running back so he can “see what it is like to run over a linebacker.” Note to Keith: Be careful what you wish for.
On the golf course Friday, Mitchell had to tamp down his aggressive tendencies.
“These greens are so small and so firm that you just pick a spot and you hit it there instead of trying to get cute with it and trying to get close to a flag,” Mitchell said. “I was happy hitting it 20 feet from the pin because I knew I had a chance to make it.”
For fans longing for big names to take charge of the tournament, there is still hope.
Still back for the final two days are Brooks Koepka, two back of the leaders; Sergio Garcia and first-day leader Jhonattan Vegas, three off the lead; Zach Johnson, four back; Daniel Berger, Rickie Fowler, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, five behind; and defending champion Justin Thomas trailing by eight.
A golfer with strong Miami ties, Adam Svensson, made a nice run in the second round to move into contention, two off the lead.
After shooting a 72 on the first day, Svensson, who attended and played golf at Barry University in Miami, shot 31-33—64 Friday for a minus-four 136 to make him part of a nine-player logjam in fourth place.
“It was a really nice day,” Svensson said. “My goal is to win a PGA tournament this year.” If it is the Honda, that would be just fine with Svensson.
Another Miamian, Ryan Blaum, from Westminster Christian School, was right on the cut line at 69-73 to advance to the final two days and Erik Compton of Miami missed the cut at 73-74-147.
This story was originally published March 1, 2019 at 8:49 PM.