Scott Piercy in command after two rounds at 3M Open
BLAINE, Minn. — PGA Tour officials moved Saturday’s final tee times up to 8:50 a.m. because of forecasted severe weather on the plain in Blaine, which gives 3M Open second-round leader Scott Piercy four fewer hours to contemplate his three-shot advantage.
After changing his swing coach, his caddie, his putter and driver the past two weeks, Piercy followed Thursday’s 7-under-par 65 by doing it one better. His Friday 64 is two shots off the tournament record 62 he set the first day of the inaugural 3M Open in 2019.
It also leads Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo by three shots, England’s Callum Tarren by five and five others — world 17th-ranked Tony Finau, Thursday’s co-leader Sangjae Im, Fargo’s Tom Hoge, Robert Streb and Doug Ghim — by six.
Piercy will have all night, but not much of the next day to think about a tournament start he calls “confirming.” He started Friday’s round by making four consecutive birdies on a bogey-free afternoon.
“It might be good to stay in the rhythm,” said the 43-year-old Piercy, Las Vegas born and raised. “Just get some dinner, get some sleep, get up and let’s do it again.”
It’s sort of a theme for a guy who shook up his season with so many recent changes. He didn’t change anything Friday after he added a new putter Thursday. He made 151 feet of putts Thursday, a mere 125 feet Friday.
“Just go repeat,” Piercy said when asked if he made any changes Friday.
His second round started with a 27-foot birdie putt on No. 10, continued with three more consecutive birdies on 11-13 and just kept going after that.
“It has been a little bit since I’ve played like I feel I should play,” Piercy said. “To kind of prove it to myself again, I know it’s in there. It’s just how do we get it out of me.”
He is 138th on the FedEx Cup points list that sends 125 players to the playoffs and ranked 297th in the world.
He can’t remember the last time he started with four consecutive birdies.
“You need a stat guy for that,” Piercy said.
His 64 wasn’t the day’s best round, however.
Tarren missed tying Piercy’s tournament record by a shot when he parred the par-5, closing 18th hole. Piercy’s 62 from 2019 was matched by Bryson DeChambeau, Matthew Wolff and Lucas Glover on consecutive days in that tournament and not again since.
“I had no idea,” Tarren said about any record.
He said he drove it “super straight” Friday and hit every green in regulation. His 63 beats his lowest previous PGA Tour score of 65, which he shot most recently on consecutive days. He finished tied for sixth at the John Deere Classic three weeks ago. Before that, Tarren briefly led the U.S. Open’s second round in June.
He went so low Friday after shooting an even-par 71 on Thursday. He walked away “so frustrated” with a putter that holed no putts, he fired it after just one round and brought his “old faithful” Odyssey No. 7 that dates to playing in China seven or more years or so.
“It got me out here,” Tarren said. “Sometimes it needs to be benched just to fire itself back up.”
Grillo and Finau each tied for third at the 2020 3M Championship, which was played without spectators because of the pandemic.
Grillo remembers something like this year’s opening 67-65, only in reverse: He shot 64-65 on the weekend after he just barely made Friday’s cut.
“I was way behind, but I was able to sneak in a few coming in on Friday,” Grillo said. “I was able to go very low on that weekend. I don’t think I could have gone lower than that. It was definitely a great week. Fell a few short, so hopefully this week will be a bit better than that.”
Finau said he doesn’t remember much about one more close finish that included all four rounds shot in the 60s, including 65-66 the first two days.
What he remembers is longtime swing coach Boyd Summerhays caddying for him after Finau had just fired his caddie.
“He forgot to put sunscreen on his legs and his legs were the color of her hat,” Finau said, pointing to a woman wearing bright red. “I remember more about that than the golf, I think. That was the first time he every caddied for me, and the last.”
Players will go off split tees in threesomes starting Saturday at 6:50 a.m.
“None of us want to play in the [stormy] weather, anyway,” Piercy said. “It’s good we get it done early, hopefully before the weather comes.”
