BRADENTON, Fla. – The second round of the 76th Four-Ball Championship featured intense movement on the leaderboard, as several teams surged from behind while early leaders held their ground to stay in contention.
What Happened?
The early morning belonged to brothers Aaron and Jonah Leach. After opening with a 65 (-6), the duo birdied their first three holes to immediately catch the leaders, who had yet to tee off.
Defending champions Ty Capps and Tyler Gulliksen got off to an equally fast start after teeing off at 8:50 AM, matching the Leach brothers with birdies on their first three holes to become the first team to reach double digits under par.
Shortly after, play was halted due to lightning, prompting a three-hour delay. When action resumed at 12:30 PM, the field returned with renewed energy, and scores began to shift rapidly.
At the turn, Capps and Gulliksen remained in familiar territory, on top, holding a slim one-shot lead over the field.
Among the day’s highlights was a 10-under 61 from Jake Marriott and Keaton Phillips, capped by an eagle on the 17th hole. Their charge moved them into a share of third place heading into the final round.
Throughout the afternoon, every time a team threatened to match the defending champions, Capps and Gulliksen answered back. That was until Jimmy Kozikowski and Chris Anderson made their move. A stretch of five consecutive birdies surged them to 18-under, the first team to reach that mark.
Three closing pars secured the outright lead for Kozikowski and Anderson, who now sit narrowly ahead of the pack heading into the final round.
What’s Next?
The final round of the 76th Four-Ball Championship tees off tomorrow, with groups going off between 7:30 and 9:30 AM. The field has been re-paired based on scores. By day’s end, we’ll crown the 76th Four-Ball Champions.
Notable
- Capps & Gulliksen and Marriott & Phillips would both have the round of the day, firing a 10-under, 61.
- The team of Kozikowski and Anderson would capture the solo lead going into the final round.
- The scoring average in the first round was 0.79 higher than today’s second round.
