Sanford International Round 2 recap
Posted: September 9, 2024
Champions Tour rookie Wright takes lead among ‘guys I've watched on TV for years’
Written by Mick Garry
Michael Wright is an Australian who grew up playing golf courses that often included dry, firm greens. Richard Green is an Australian who grew up playing those same kinds of places.
Wright leads the Sanford International at Minnehaha Country Club after 36 holes at eight-under par after shooting a five-under 65 on Saturday. His fellow countryman Green is a stroke behind him at seven-under after also shooting a five-under 65.
It’s probably not a coincidence.
“Back in Australia, we play a lot of our big tournaments with hard, fast greens that feel like this concrete we're standing on,” Wright said during a post-round media session. “I think it plays into my hands a little bit. I've got a little bit of experience with the way the ball bounces and releases. Of course, it'd be a lot easier if it was softer but then it's just a game of darts.”
For Green, it was much the same.
“It’s what I grew up on,” he said. “It’s just somewhere ingrained in the system there somewhere. I’ve always liked to see the ball bouncing up to the hole. It’s nice to go out on a golf course that is playing that way. The (British) Senior Open this year was like that and I played pretty well. I can only hope the conditions stay that way tomorrow.”
Wright is a Champions Tour rookie playing in the International for the first time. He has existed largely on the fringes of professional golf outside the United States for his entire career.
Green’s career in the game includes a fourth-place finish in the 2007 British Open. He is currently No. 4 on the Tour’s money list with more than $1.6 million in winnings in 2024.
Both will be competing against some familiar names on Sunday.
Billy Andrade, who led the tournament by a resounding four strokes on Friday, is tied for third at five-under with three-time Sanford International champion Steve Stricker, who shot a two-under 68 on Saturday.
The list at four-under, four strokes back, includes Ernie Els, the PGA Tour Champions’ leading money winner in 2024. Also at four-under are 2019 International champion Rocco Mediate and Bernhard Langer, who has a record 46 wins on the Champions Tour.
Tim O’Neal, Ken Duke, Tim Petrovic and Ken Tanigawa are also at four-under.
The final day will include golfers from wildly different backgrounds. On one side you have players like Els and Langer, who are among the greatest ever to play. On the other side you have Wright, who has one top-10 finish since joining the Champions Tour, and has spent time as a physical education teacher in Australia while continuing to pursue his dreams in golf.
“I'm just having a blast just being out here, just loving it,” Wright said. “I have to pinch myself every day. To be able to play against these guys that I've watched on TV for many years – it’s just a dream come true.”
