Ludwig Abergé and Lanto Griffin share the lead for Farmers Insurance as fierce winds forced a 90-minute delay and prevented dozens of players from completing the second round.
First-round leader and Swedish Ryder Cup star Aberg shot a six-over 75, and Griffin shot a 72 for both of them in the six-over total.
Aberg made three bogeys in five holes on the front nine and double-bogeyed the 14th to pull American Griffin into his three-under-par 92.
Danny Walker’s shot to third and Chris Gotterup’s 69, the joint best score of the day, saw him dry up to fourth.
Players battled strong, inconsistent winds measured over 35 miles on a course known for its towering pines, better known for misty sea layers than disruptive weather. game stopped before the marshals.
“Throw the score out the window,” said Griffin, who earned his PGA Tour card at the Q-School last month.
“(On) a normal day, 72 is good on this golf course, and today it just came down to the head. The nine tees blow left.
“It was kind of hanging on for dear life, try and save the bogeys on most holes and sprinkle in a birdie or two.”
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The wind carries the Trlandia ball before the butcher of birds at the opening of Farmers Insurance
The delay began just outside the local 2 and lasted until 3.31, forcing players to play quickly in the barely-diminished wind to complete their rounds.
The northern course is more exposed to the ocean, so the wind was particularly harsh in the world’s No. 4 No. 4 No. 4 No. 4. Matsuyama still managed a 75 and made the cut at one under.
In the opening round, scores on the easier North course (70.2) were significantly better than the South course (72.5).Thanks to the wind, the North (75.3) actually played easier on Thursday.
Ludwig Aberg walks onto the 15th hole of the South Course through the Stinky Torr Pines
“It was extremely difficult,” said Eric Cole, who was three shots off the lead before stopping 71 seconds into the second round.
“It really started to break down like our second or third hole, so we had six holes of really heavy winds. Then it almost died down and straightened the fairways for a couple of holes.
“Very complex and very unique. I know it might blow up a little bit, but it just felt like extra Gusty and (were) kind of connecting the directions a little bit, so it’s a little bit of a transition.” :
No one had a bogey-free round as they battled the wind, which blew dirt and sand into the Pacific Ocean all afternoon.
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A brush fire also broke out about four miles from Torrey Pines and burned three acres near the University of San Diego, but 175 firefighters quickly halted progress.
Some players did not wait for the restart of the game. Max Homma, the 2023 champion of this event, stopped at stoppage time with just three holes remaining, citing his second straight round.
Florida State junior Luke Clanton took the lead on the front nine before bogeying three in the worst of the wind conditions.
Defending champion Matteo Pavone had another bad day as he finished 80 out of 80 on the card outside the projected cutoff in the second round and 2023 winner Max Homa pulled out due to illness during the nine-over war.
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