Hokie dokey, de Jonge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/07/2011 (5411 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Brendon de Jonge rode a wave of Hokie fever to a share of the second-round lead at the Greenbrier Classic.

De Jonge shot a 3-under-par 67 Friday and was tied with Webb Simpson at 7 under midway through the tournament.

Among those failing to advance to weekend play were Phil Mickelson, whose streak of making 17 straight cuts ended, and defending champion Stuart Appleby. Both finished 3 over, missing the cut by two strokes.

Chris Baryla of Vernon, B.C., made five birdies in an eight-hole stretch in his morning round to rocket to the top of the leaderboard at 8 under, then made triple-bogey on the par-4 sixth. He shot 69 and was in a group of six at 4 under.

David Hearn (72) from Brantford, Ont., is two over for the tournament and is tied for 22nd, while Adam Hadwin (71) of Abbotsford, B.C., made the cut by a stroke and heads into the weekend at 1 over par.

With shouts of encouragement all around him, de Jonge, a former Virginia Tech golfer, is flourishing for the second straight year at The Greenbrier resort, less than two hours from his college stomping grounds.

“It’s a little bit of adrenaline,” de Jonge said. “Keeps you going. It’s always a little pick-me-up if you’re struggling a little bit. It’s fun. It’s nice to hear ‘Go Hokies’ on every tee.”

De Jonge has played the Old White TPC course many times and he finished third in last year’s inaugural tournament at 17 under. It was one of three third-place finishes in 2010 that helped him earn a career-best US$2.2 million.

The native of Zimbabwe is the tour leader in birdies, yet admits he needs to work on eliminating the bogeys. His only one Friday was a three-putt on No. 11.

“I think the biggest thing is just getting out of my own way,” de Jonge said. “It’s very, very difficult to win out here. It’s difficult to win anywhere. Staying in your own routine, I guess, is the best way to put it.”

Simpson couldn’t get any momentum going until he made three birdies on the back nine and shot 68.

The former Wake Forest golfer is playing less than five hours from his old campus. He grew up in North Carolina and moved to Charlotte earlier this year.

His own cheering section will get a bit bigger today.

“I told my wife today I’m going to go out and be in the lead, so you’ve got to come for the weekend,” Simpson said.

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Both Simpson and de Jonge are chasing their first career victories. The tournament champion will earn a spot in next week’s Bridgestone Invitational.

Like last year, when Appleby came from a seven-stroke deficit and shot 59 in the final round to win, it’s anyone’s tournament. Thirty-five players were within five shots of the lead entering the third round.

Simpson and de Jonge were the only two of the top 10 from the first round to break par in the second.

First-round leader Trevor Immelman made just two birdies, shot 70 and was at 6 under.

— The Associated Press