Andrew Novak and Ben Griffin produced a wonderful exhibition on Saturday. They combined to shoot a phenomenal 11-under 61 in the better-ball format at the Zurich Classic. Their incredible round launched them into a three-shot advantage. Now, they face the final day of the tournament, which happens to be the PGA Tour’s only team event. Novak & Griffin now own a comfortable total of 27-under 189.
Novak recovered quite well from his quarterfinal loss to Justin Thomas in last week’s RBC Heritage playoff. He certainly proved his resilience by winning his second straight top-three finish. His successful partnership with Griffin has already been a winning formula as they take aim at victory in one of golf’s most distinctive formats.
We’re simply trying to make sure that we capitalize on every opportunity,” Griffin said. And that’s what we both practice for and play for on the PGA Tour.”
Defending champions Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are five shots back. They recently rattled off a brilliant 61 score on Saturday. McIlroy spoke about a key turning point in his round. He holed out for a stunning 30-foot eagle to close on the par-5 18th.
“The last thing on my mind during the delay was the putt and, then once I got back out there, I sort of concentrated on it and made sure I did what I needed to do,” – Rory McIlroy
It’s not just McIlroy and Lowry turning heads. Nicolai Højgaard and Rasmus Højgaard both finished 23 under as well, though Isaiah Salinda and Kevin Velo passed them with a final-round 66, tying for fourth place at 23 under. Jake Knapp and Frankie Capan III put the world on notice with a 60, proving their moxie in this make or break atmosphere. Ryo Hisatsune and Takumi Kanaya of Japan equaled Novak and Griffin’s record-setting performance with an equally gaudy score of 61. They remain far behind with a total of 27 under overall.
The Zurich Classic wraps up with an alternate-shot finale, bringing yet another layer of intrigue to the week’s competition. As we head into the last round excitement is high for Novak and Griffin. They will work to defend their narrow edge against strong countervailing forces.
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