Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Strong winds wreaked havoc during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California on Thursday, forcing a lengthy suspension before play was halted due to darkness. Play at the picturesque venue overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla was interrupted for just under two hours after powerful gusts made the course virtually unplayable.
Lanto Griffin grabbed a share of the lead at six under after completing a level-par 72 for his second round on Torrey Pines’ south course. Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, the first round leader, was also on six under after struggling to a three-over-par 75. Aberg, who had shot a blistering nine-under-par 63 in Wednesday’s opening round, found the going a lot harder on Thursday.
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Danny Walker completed a demanding 18 holes on Torrey Pines’ north course with a two-over-par 74 and is on five under, one off the lead. “Just a crazy day, for sure,” Walker said of the conditions. “One of those days where you can’t even think about what you’re shooting, just got to do your best to hit every shot and just accept whatever happens. So much of where the ball’s going to go is just out of your control. Did my best to just keep a level head and just take it one shot at a time. It’s all you could do.”
Eric Cole battled to a one-under-par 71 to finish the second round on three under, three shots off the lead. “It’s an unbelievably challenging course to begin with in normal conditions,” Cole said. “It was tough, but it was also tricky. It was just an overall combination that made scoring really, really difficult.”
Those teeing off early on Thursday found the going a struggle. Zac Blair and Zach Johnson, who were three shots off the lead after carding six-under-par 66s in Wednesday’s opening round, tumbled down the leaderboard. Blair shot a six-over-par 78, while Johnson carded a five-over-par 77.
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