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Golf Links: Saturday, July 1 news and updates

By Elizabeth Bethel

MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 23: Bernd Wiesberger of Austria tees off on the 18th hole during day two of the BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried on June 23, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 23: Bernd Wiesberger of Austria tees off on the 18th hole during day two of the BMW International Open at Golfclub Munchen Eichenried on June 23, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images) /
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Golf Links connects you to Saturday morning’s golf news: Moving Day at the pro events, golf course animal tales, and a career move for Natalie Gulbis are keeping the golf world turning today.

The ProGolfNow Golf Links column provides a quick way to get your Saturday morning golf news and stay on top of the game, wherever it’s being played.

Moving Day Possibilities and Probabilities

At the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship the action up and down the leaderboard has already started as the Tour’s 2nd major heads into moving day.

Early leader Amy Yang dropped back a bit on Friday while Danielle Kang and Sei Young Kim moved up to threaten Chella Choi, who for most of the round sat  alone at the top of the board. Then disaster struck in the form of two bogeys in her last three holes. Choi dropped back and Kang and Kim lead the field into Saturday’s third round.

Kang, who could notch her first Tour victory Sunday, is fully focused on her game and her goal:

With the cut at +2, Ariya Jutanugarn, Mil Reid, Anna Nordqvist, Cristie Kerr, and Charley Hull will be among those taking the weekend off. Now the real work of winning this thing will begin. With So Yeon Ryu and Moriya Jutanugarn going into the third round at 5-under and Michelle Wie and defending champion Brooke Henderson right behind them at 4-under, there’s going to be considerable pressure on the leaders during Saturday’s moving day round.

Just for the record, Bronte Law made the cut on the number. She’ll play again on my fantasy golf team!

Television coverage of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship shifts from Golf Channel to NBC for weekend broadcast, 3-6pm ET both Saturday and Sunday.

U.S. Senior Open

In Salem, Massachusetts dangerous weather conditions led to a suspension of second round play, but not before Ken Triplett carded a 67. Combined with his first round 62, Triplett’s 36-hole combined 129 sets a new U.S. Senior Open 36-hole record.

Going into the weekend, the real fight begins. Triplett is sharing his 11-under lead with Kenny Perry and seven players, including Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Scott Verplank, and Tom Lehman are within five shots of their lead.

Colin Montgomerie survived the cut but trails the leaders by 10 shots. Sir Nick Faldo and Rocco Mediate were among those who were not so fortunate.

Fox Sports will provide television coverage of the Saturday and Sunday rounds from 1-6 p.m.

Open de France

Young American Peter Uihlein has a share of the lead going into the weekend at the Open de France. Don’t know Uihlein? Here’s a little background on the guy who’s enjoying playing golf and seeing the world while he does it. Uihlein was twice the AJGA Player of the Year (2005, 2007). He played golf for the Oklahoma State Cowboys (Rickie Fowler’s alma mater) and posted a 4-0 record for his 2009 Walker Cup team. In 2010 he won the Mark H. MacCormack medal and followed that with the Ben Hogan Award in 2011.

Uihlein turned pro in 2011, failed to earn cards on both the PGA TOUR and the European Tour, and opted for the European Challenge Tour. He promptly played his way onto the European Tour, recorded his first victory at the 2013 Madeira Island Open, and then was recognized for his superb play by the Tour’s Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.

ProGolfNow’s Mike Randleman has the backstory on Uihlein and Adrian Otaegui going into the weekend at the Open de France.

Related Story: Going into the weekend in Paris

Quicken Loans National

David Lingmerth just keeps rolling along at TPC Potomac. He carded a second 65 on Friday and that gives him a two shot lead going into the weekend and the glimmer of a wire-to-wire second PGA TOUR victory. That’s a delicious possibility for a guy who hasn’t found the top-10 in 2017.

Geoff Oglivy and Daniel Summerhays could be Lingmerth’s spoilers.

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Describing himself as a “mid-career player” – too old to play a full PGA TOUR season, too young to stop competing – Oglivy has delivered some impressive shots at TPC Potomac and his second round 65 nicely matched Lingmerth’s. In fact, he looked remarkably similar to that guy who won the 2006 U.S. Open.

Justin Thomas just couldn’t recover from that first round quad so he’s gone home. Ricky Fowler made the cut, but at +2 he’s a long way from the top of the leaderboard as the third round starts. We’ll see who makes a move today, although looking at the board I don’t see any likely candidates to challenge Lingmerth, who seems to be fully dialed in and well on his way to the win. Still, we’re only at the mid-point. There’s still much golf to be played.

PGA TOUR live starts broadcasting at 10:30am ET and CBS begins television coverage of the Quicken Loans National third round at 3pm ET.

Golf Dogs

The Olympia Fields golf dog, Trigger, is thoroughly enjoying the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. In addition to his All Access credentials, he’s set Twitter on fire and and he’s rumored to be enjoying Lydia Ko’s treats.

Gulbis Contemplating a Career Change

Natalie Gulbis hasn’t played a full LPGA season for several years although she’s remained a presence on the golf scene. Golf channel reports she’s giving serious thought to a career change, making a run for the 3rd Congressional seat in Nevada that’s being vacated by Rep. Jacky Rosen (D).

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Gulbis, who has been a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, has made a trip to Washington to consult with GOP operatives and while she probably wouldn’t be the only Republican making a run for the seat, she would likely start with the advantage of Trump’s endorsement.

Golf Course Wildlife

In the American South golfers navigate around alligators who enjoy basking along the waterways. In the American west, other local fauna threaten. At one of my personal favorites, Mare Island Golf Club, there’s a permanent sign beside the first hole tees warning players to be alert to rattlesnakes! But golf course animal problems don’t end at the United States border.

At Sweden’s Karlstad Golf Club Christer Sjogren made the mistake of fooling around with a moose  (or elk) calf. Here’s what happened:

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Who are you following on moving day? Let us head your thoughts about who looks good for the win at the U.S. Senior Open, the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the Open de France, and the Quicken Loans National.

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