Alright, you gotta hear this: Casey Jarvis absolutely ROCKED his first hole today at the Old Course, holing out for an eagle that set the tone for a wild 7-under 65 round. That insane start has him sitting pretty with a two-shot lead in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, chasing his third DP World Tour title this year. Seriously, this dude just came out firing, and it’s awesome to watch.
Jarvis Is On Another Level, And He Knows It
Jarvis didn’t just fluke into this lead; he put on a clinic. He played bogey-free on a breezy day at the home of golf, and get this, his longest birdie putt was only 6 feet! That’s how dialed in he was. He started on the 10th hole, and his wedge shot landed like six feet beyond the cup before spinning RIGHT BACK IN for the eagle. Talk about a statement! He then nailed a tee shot over the Strath bunker to four feet on the par-3 11th. After two-putting for birdie on the 14th, he was already 5 under through just five holes. Like, who even does that?
This isn’t new territory for Jarvis either. He already snagged the Kenya Open and the South African Open in back-to-back weeks back in February. The guy’s got experience closing. He admitted he’s gonna feel the pressure tomorrow, saying, “I know I’m going to be feeling pressure tomorrow. I have won twice this year. So I kind of know how to deal with it a little better. I still know I’m going to feel first tee nerves and pressure throughout the day.” But hey, he also knows what’s up: “Every golfer dreams of taking a lead, playing the Old Course on Sunday. I got goosebumps right now just standing here. I just can’t wait for tomorrow. Even if I don’t win, to be taking the lead, I’m just going to enjoy it as much as I can.” You love to hear that confidence mixed with the raw excitement.
The Chasers Are Flying Too, But Can They Catch Him?
It’s not like the rest of the field just rolled over. Adrian Meronk of Poland, one of 22 LIV Golf players in the mix, had an absolute monster round himself, firing a 63 at Kingsbarns. He birdied his first four holes and even dropped an eagle late to get within two shots of Jarvis. England’s Matthew Jordan also shot a 66 at Kingsbarns and is tied with Meronk at two shots back. Thomas Detry, another LIV player, is just a shot further behind after a 65 at St. Andrews. These guys are coming for him.
Even Matt Fitzpatrick, fresh off a win last week, got off to a blistering start with six birdies in his opening seven holes, though he finished six shots back with defending champ Robert MacIntyre. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka is eight shots back after a 70 on the Old Course. The cut line was 6-under 136, and some big names from LIV, like Tyrrell Hatton and Cam Smith, who won The Open at St. Andrews in 2022, actually missed it. Meronk is definitely hungry, saying he plans to play every week he can on the European tour and hoping this is his week. He’s been playing well, just waiting for the results to fully show up.
So, tomorrow is gonna be electric. The final round is at St. Andrews, and Jarvis has that two-shot cushion. Will he hold on for his third title of the year? Or will Meronk, Jordan, or Detry come flying out of the gate to steal it? This is gonna be a must-watch Sunday!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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