The math was simple and yet still challenging for Adam Svensson as he played the final few holes of his second round at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The projected cutline was two-under 138, and the 29-year-old Canadian, who had claimed his maiden PGA Tour win last fall at the RSM Classic, was at even par with three holes to play.
But then, well, sometimes the Golf Gods come baring gifts.
Svensson used a 7-iron to one-hop his ball into the cup from 175 yards. Suddenly, the weekend was firmly in his grasp.
Suddenly, things were looking very much up. And sure enough, Svensson made pars on his last two holes to finish with a second-straight 69. He sits nine shots off the lead of Chris Kirk, but with the chance to get out early on Saturday and see if he can find a little magic in his bag.
To help you appreciate Svensson’s late charge to make the cut is the tale of what happened to Jordan Spieth on Friday. Spieth had a share of the lead after 18 holes when he shot a six-under 64. But then he came out flat on Friday and shot a five-over 75 to miss the cut by one shot. The 11-stroke difference in first- and second-round scores is the biggest ever for Spieth in 256 career PGA Tour starts.