Appleby shows form reversal at Wyndham
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2011 Wyndham Championship | Round Two | 20 Aug 2011
Tommy Gainey has the halfway lead at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, his combined total of 12 under par opening up a three shot lead over a group of four players namely Stuart Appleby, Webb Simpson, Daniel Summerhays and Ernie Els.
Gainey has been able to establish his lead despite a wrist injury that has bothered him of late and he discussed that issue after his round today.
“After the round (yesterday) I went to get it iced. I iced my elbow and iced my wrist. I’ve had a wrist problem since the Vancouver tournament which has been pretty close to a month ago now.
“If you can look at my stats, they’ll tell you that I haven’t hit many fairways since that tournament and I’ve been struggling off the tee and it’s pretty much — you know, it’s been ongoing thing with my wrist not feeling a hundred percent but I’m not going to sit up here and make any excuses. Everybody out here has to play injured. That’s just the way it is.”
Gainey has yet to win on the PGA Tour but has had several top ten finishes this year after regaining his playing status on the PGA Tour via a stunning season on the Nationwide Tour last year.
Appleby has had a horror season to date in 2011 but just as he showed last year when winning the Greenbrier Classic and again later in the year the JB Were Masters out of the blue that he has the capacity to turn things around.
“I played pretty good,” said Appleby. “The course is a good test. Got to realize here, Tommy yesterday, made a lot of birdies. I don’t know how you do that without driving very well.
“It’s tough enough out here where you really need to think about positioning your ball under the hole. There’s little slopes kicking off the edges of the greens. Good solid play. Something I haven’t been able to say at all for a long time. It is nice to be playing on the weekend. It’s been a long time.”
Ernie Els is another who might well have found form at just the right time given that he was on the outside looking in as far as FedEx Cup Playoff chances were concerned. He was delighted with the form he has showed to date this week.
“I’ve got quite a large goal for me this week and, you know, I’m feeling like fine, my game is turning around a little bit and I like the course. Obviously you have to make a lot of birdies to keep up with the pace but I feel I’m up for it and, you know, enjoying North Carolina.”
Another reversing form is last year’s FedEx Cup Champion Jim Furyk who is in a group just one shot behind the group in second position.
Other Australians include Jarrod Lyle in 19th position, Marc Leishman, Nathan Green and Nick O’Hern in 44th position and Rod Pampling and Aron Price 61st.
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