Abraham Ancer’s final round at the 103rd PGA Championship was clean, a total opposite effort from Saturday, and, perhaps, a harbinger of things to come.
Ancer shot a bogey-free 65 Sunday. His 7-under round has been the round of the Championship to this point.
“Obviously I felt great. I hit the ball really well today off the tee. I don't think I missed really any tee balls,” said Ancer. “I hit every single one exactly where I wanted to hit it, so that obviously helped me a lot.”
The 65 came just one day after a 76 on Saturday. Golf is funny that way, but Mother Nature had something to do with it, too.
“I guess it set up better for me with my shots coming into the greens and everything I was working the ball nicely with the wind and kind of getting close to some pin placements that I couldn't get close to the previous days,” said Ancer. “I rolled it nicely. I hit the ball really good and just played solid.”
The wind pivoted Sunday, from how it had been blowing the rest of the week, so that meant under-par scores were coming in bunches as the first few golfers to come through the 18th hole.
Byeong Hun An shot 4-under 68, nine shots better than his score on Saturday. Matt Jones equaled An’s 4 under, a score six shots better than his third-round effort.
Aaron Wise was 4 under and Justin Rose 5 under in the early part of their back nine, while defending PGA Champion Collin Morikawa went out in 3-under 33, ditto fellow major winner Patrick Reed.
All that to say, the scores were out there – at least through the early part of Sunday.
“The wind, it wasn't blowing that much probably in the first four or five holes and then started to pump. Completely different direction, so the golf course played completely different,” said Ancer. “Par 3s, par 5s, everything played completely different, and I liked it.”
With the leaders just about to tee off Sunday afternoon, numbers are being posted behind them – and now they too will try to take advantage.
