There’s going low.
And there’s what Eric Axley is doing Wednesday during the second round of the PGA Tour Champions Q School final stage.
Starting on the back nine on the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale, Axley eagled the par-5 10th hole. Nice start.
He then went birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie to get to 8 under through six holes.
Axley finally cooled off with pars on the par-5 17th and par-4 18th. Still, he made the turn in 28 and was officially on 59 watch.
“Once I eagled No. 10, it seemed like the birdies weren’t much more than tap-ins,” Axley said. “I think I had it inside three feet on each of my first eight holes, except the par-3 16th. There, I had 192 yards and hit it to six feet, but still made it. So, everything just felt really comfortable down that stretch of holes.”
The 28 ties the low nine-hole score on the PGA Tour Champions in 2023.
He then parred Nos. 10 and 11 but a disastrous quadruple 7 on the par-3 third hole, his 12th of the day, did some damage to his scorecard. He would later birdie Nos. 5, 6 and 7 to post a 7-under 64 and walk off the course tied for sixth. He ended the day in a tie for seventh.
“I hit a weird tee shot on No. 3 that ended up in a bad spot,” he said. “I couldn’t get it on the green from where I was, so I ended up having a bogey putt from 20 feet. I ran that by three feet, then ran it by three feet coming back. So, that was a four-putt. It was like getting punched in the stomach when you aren’t prepared for it. But, I did bounce back somewhat with three more straight birdies on 5, 6 and 7. So, that helped.”
Axley, 49, has one win – the 2006 Valero Texas Open – in 209 starts on the PGA Tour and $3.2 million in career earnings. He doesn’t turn 50 until April 22 next year but is vying for one of five tour cards being handed out this week for the 2024 season.
Wes Short, Jr., shot a 63 on Wednesday and sits at 12 under, alone in first at the halfway mark. He had seven birdies and an eagle. Daniel Chopra, Shane Bertsch and Cameron Percy are tied for second at 11 under. Alan McLean is solo fifth at 10 under.
Other notables include Dick Mast, the last golfer in the field at age 72, beat his age by shooting an even-par 71; Scottsdale’s Bryan Hoops, the lone amateur in the field, tied for 12th after scores of 64-72; and former Major League pitcher John Smoltz is last. He followed his first-round 80 with a 76. He is 14 over.
