LAS VEGAS – Aaron Baddley’s second round was impressive enough considering the windy conditions at TPC Summerlin.
But he upped the ante here in Vegas, signing for 66 after hitting just half his greens in regulation.
He was a perfect 9-for-9 scrambling on a bogey-free Friday.
“When you do that, and you make a few birdies, you’re going to keep moving forward,” said Baddeley, who was one off the early pace set by Robert Garrigus at the end of the morning wave.
The Aussie has plenty of experience practicing in the wind, both in his native Australia and at his current home in Scottsdale. That comfort is proving useful this week at the Shriners, where 20-mile-per-hour winds have players going up and down two to three clubs on some holes.
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Baddeley is also enjoying a recent equipment change that has him third in strokes gained-putting this week.
“I actually got a new putter this week,” he said. “Ping made me a great club. It’s beautiful. I’ve done some string drills on the putting green, which really helped me get the ball on the right line.”
He will look to put all his practice to good use this weekend as he attempts a run at his fifth PGA Tour title.
“It’s just patience,” he explained. “The forecast tomorrow is going to be super windy. So it’s going to be a real day of patience tomorrow, just sort of picking up a bunch of pars and making some birdies. If we can do that on the weekend, we’ll be in a good spot on Sunday.