The 2019 champion steadily made a one-under start from the day of Thailand in 25th place with a 4-under par, and then the round exploded on the 9th hole of the par 4. Raleigh threw a stunning 43-yard tip for the eagle after the boom’s opening drive put him in the rough to the left of the pin.
Just minutes later, the 35-year-old repeated Eagle’s feat three yards away, finding the tenth hole from the fairway and causing a big roar from the crowd watching.
Towards the final eight holes, Raleigh’s heroes appeared ready to begin the chase of second-round leader Cameron Smith, six strokes behind 13 under. Despite the birdie finish, three bogies in six holes upset the Irishman’s assault.
Raleigh returned to 13th place with a 7-under after shooting 69, but only touched on his “pretty cool” Eagle feat.
“It was a lot of fun when the two came in, but the rest of the day wasn’t that much fun,” he told reporters.
“I feel okay, but it didn’t take long for Einstein to figure out what went wrong with Back Nine. My putting was horrible.
“Spend all these hours every day to give yourself a chance at the major back nines on Saturday and Sunday, it’s not enough because you don’t perform. You have to look at something,” Laurie added.
Raleigh added that he planned to spend the afternoon practicing putting the green next to the first tee, saying his performance “has no chance” to challenge his second open win.
“I’m honestly very disappointed because I worked hard, and I’m working hard to put myself in those positions,” he said.
“If I had a hole in something all week, I would still be playing there. I would be with the leaders … my game was good enough all week. Honestly, I think it’s because of my game I fought to be in the top 20 on Sunday around here.
“I’m doing my best. I don’t know the answer. If so, I wouldn’t have to go to the putting green now. But it’s difficult. This game is sometimes difficult.”
Source: www.cnn.com
