Those two players, of course, were Paul Dunne and Jimmy Mullen (pictured below). After two rounds Mullen had a share of the lead and Dunne was just a shot back.
Then Carnoustie happened. Dunne dropped back to T13 with a par 72, Mullen to T21 with a two-over 74. Meanwhile, other players went low at St Andrews and Kingsbarns:
- Joakim Lagergren picked up eight shots on his back nine at Kingsbarns to post 62. He's now T4.
- Two other players shot 64s -- Florian Fritsch (2nd) at Kingsbarns and Brooks Koepka (T8) at St Andrews.
- And Thorbjorn Olesen shot 65 at St Andrews to take the lead at -17, three clear of Fritsch.
As for Dunne and Mullen, they've got their work cut out for them. Not only did they lose ground on Saturday but neither shot better than -3 when they played St Andrews on Friday. They're getting a firsthand lesson on how rapidly pro golf -- as opposed to amateur golf -- can turn on you.
But I believe there's a silver lining for both players. You see, each player had his best showing at Kingsbarns with a 64. Given that Kingsbarns is a bit more 'American' in its style of play -- it's more target golf than links golf -- this may bode well for both in the majors going forward, as most of those courses tend to be more target-oriented.
That's not gonna help them much this week. Still, both should get decent checks for their first outings as pros, and that's always good for a player's confidence. We'll need to keep an eye out for them over the next few months and see how quickly they can get into the flow of pro golf.
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