Lee Kyung-hoon - Stanley "3rd → 16th"..."Foursome is tough"

Zurich Classic Day 2: 2 Over Par Thorny Path, Hoblan-Ventura 'Norwegian Duo' Leads

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] "Tied for 3rd → Tied for 16th."

Lee Kyung-hoon (30, CJ Logistics·photo) and Kyle Stanley (USA) saw their early momentum in the foursome format (playing alternately with one ball) come to a halt. On the 24th (Korean time) at the Avondale Louisiana Golf Club (par 72, 7,425 yards) in Louisiana, USA, after a tough second day with 2-over par at the PGA Tour Zurich Classic (total prize money $7.3 million), they fell back to a tie for 16th place (7-under 137 strokes). The 'two-player team' battle will continue with the fourball format (each player plays their own ball and the better score is chosen) in the third round.

The Lee Kyung-hoon-Stanley duo started at the 10th hole (par 4) and faced a rough path with a bogey at the 12th hole (par 4) and a double bogey at the 13th hole (par 4). The 13th hole was especially damaging as Stanley's tee shot landed in a fairway bunker, resulting in a '3-on and 3-putt' scenario. Although they made consecutive birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes in the back nine, bogeys on the 4th and 6th holes erased the gains, but they finished with a birdie on the 7th hole (par 5). It was particularly disappointing given their 'perfect chemistry' demonstrated with 9-under par on the first day.

Viktor Hovland (left) and Chris Ventura cheer after taking a joint lead on the second day of the Zurich Classic. Evendale, Louisiana, USA = Getty Images / Multivitz Photo by Multivitz

Norwegian duo Viktor Hovland and Chris Ventura, along with Cameron Champ and Tony Finau (both USA), are co-leaders at 13-under par 131 strokes, while Henrik Stenson (Sweden) and Justin Rose (England) are chasing at a tie for 3rd place, 2 strokes behind at 11-under par 133 strokes. The 2019 champions Jon Rahm (Spain) and Ryan Palmer (USA) remain tied for 9th place at 8-under par 136 strokes. South Korea's Im Sung-jae (23) - Ahn Byung-hoon (30), Choi Kyung-joo (51, SK Telecom) - Kang Sung-hoon (34), and Bae Sang-moon (35) - Danny Lee (New Zealand) were all cut off.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.