Will Zalatoris says he "got away with murder" after overcoming a rough start on day two to take the lead of the US PGA Championship, finishing five under after a superb performance.
The San Franciscan topped the leaderboard at Southern Hills Country Club with nine under after two rounds, as Rory McIlroy faded from the summit and Tiger Woods scraped the overall cut.
The 25-year-old, who is chasing his first major after a second-place finish at the Masters last year, made one under par through the first nine before powering through the pack with a turkey between the 11th and 13th.
But Zalatoris felt he made a lucky escape after a few wayward shots early on looked to have checked any momentum he might have built.
"I got away with murder a few times today for sure, especially starting off the day hitting the left trees and hitting it to a kick-in," he said.
"Same thing on 17, being able to get out of there with birdie where it was looking like I was going to be making 5.
"10 was really the big one, compounding two errors and hitting one really good golf shot and saving par, I just kept the round going today.
" I made a bunch of six or eight-footers for par that kept the day going, and obviously being bogey free around this place is pretty nice.
"We lucked out with the draw for sure. I played the last eight holes with not much wind, but take it when you can get it."
Zalatoris is teeing up a tilt at a maiden triumph in one of golf's four most-storied events, having nabbed T8 at the PGA last year and T6 at the US Open the year before.
"They're tough golf courses that allows my ball-striking to really give me the best chances," he added on his prospects in majors.
"Obviously these greens aren't easy, but hitting them on the right tiers and being able to have the 15-to 25-footers where I'm not going up and down slopes is huge.
"But the other part, too, I think is just I've kind of had an attitude with the majors, especially since the Masters, where I wanted to enjoy the experience as much as I could.
"I don't want to leave anything. Looking back from 20 years from now I don't want to regret my attitude or anything like that.
"So I just make sure that after really every single shot I hit, it's just... I don't want to say life or death, but make sure I'm fully committed to everything that I do because we only get four of them a year."
McIlroy 'getting used to' near misses after Irish Open heartbreak
Rory McIlroy admitted that he was "getting used to" his near misses after another late collapse saw him lose the Irish Open by one stroke.
The Northern Irishman looked set to win on home soil after taking a commanding four-shot lead at one point on Sunday.
However, costly errors on the 15th and 17th holes put the pressure back on him, and he could not hold off Rasmus Hojgaard.
McIlroy's performance at Royal County Down had echoes of his US Open misery, where he also held a lead before mistakes at crucial moments saw him lose out to Bryson DeChambeau, extending his wait for a major title into an 11th year.
He also faltered late in his bid for an Olympic medal in Paris, but McIlroy attempted to take some positives out of his latest tournament.
"I'm getting used to it [the near misses] unfortunately this year," McIlroy said.
"Hopefully the tide is going to turn pretty soon, and I can turn all these close calls into victories."
"Missing the green right on 15 is the place you can't go, and then I just misjudged the speed with the first putt on 17.
"Overall, obviously really disappointed that I didn't win, but I'll try to take the positives and move on to next week to Wentworth [at the BMW PGA Championship].
"From where I was at the start of the week and what I wanted to do, it's a step in the right direction. You know, if anything, it just whets my appetite even more for Portrush [the Open Championship] next year."
Woods undergoes back surgery after difficult 2024 season
Tiger Woods has undergone surgery to address the back spasms and pain that hampered him throughout 2024.
Woods has struggled for fitness throughout the last few years, having suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in 2021.
He appeared at all four majors this year but missed the cut at three of those events, also finishing 60th at the Masters, while illness forced him to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February.
The 15-time major champion has also undergone several surgeries on his back throughout the last decade, and he revealed on Friday that another procedure was required to rectify issues that plagued him this season.
"Earlier this morning Tiger underwent micro decompression surgery of the lumbar spine for nerve impingement in the lower back," read a statement posted to Woods' X account.
"Dr Sheeraz Qureshi of Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach performed the surgery and deemed it successful."
Woods added: "The surgery went smoothly, and I'm hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season.
"I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal activities, including golf."
Rahm sets sights on Ryder Cup but refuses to pay DP World Tour fines
Jon Rahm has no intention of paying the fines dealt his way by the DP World Tour, as he reiterated his desire to play at the Ryder Cup.
Rahm, who starred as Europe beat the United States in Rome last year to regain the Ryder Cup, moved to LIV Golf in February.
The Spaniard's participation in next year's Ryder Cup, which will be held in New York, remains in doubt.
Rahm was slapped with fines for playing in LIV tournaments that clashed with DP World Tour events without having requested permission.
If he does not play in three more DP World Tour tournaments before the end of the season in November, he will not be eligible to play at the Ryder Cup.
However, despite Rahm entering the Spanish Open, Dunhill Links Championship and Andalucia Masters, he will be unable to play until he pays his fines, something the 29-year-old does not plan on doing.
"I'm not a big fan of the fines. I don't intend to pay the fines and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen," he said.
"I intend to play in Spain. Whether they let me play or not is a different thing."
Former European captain Padraig Harrington has limited sympathy for Rahm.
"I'm a stickler for the rules," he said.
"I'm friends with Jon but if the rules are written down, that's just the way it is. The Ryder Cup is bigger than just the match. It is the backbone of the European Tour.
"The European Tour doesn't have a lot of leverage to get players to come back across and play here. The Ryder Cup is the carrot that we use to get people to come back.
"It is a very tough situation for Luke Donald and the Ryder Cup but if the 12th guy who qualifies by sticking to the rules gets bumped out, he's not going to be happy if somebody else has not stuck to the rules. We can't forget that person."
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