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Blaine Hale Jr. finally made the cut in a PGA Tour event after missing it in his last 12 starts. The American golfer secured his PGA Tour card last December and made his debut on the circuit earlier this year. He teed it up at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic and following 36 holes on Friday, June 28, Hale Jr. made the cut and is optimistic about his game.
In a press conference on Friday, Blaine Hale Jr. opened up about his performance after qualifying at the ongoing PGA Tour event. He admitted that golf can be frustrating because things don't always turn out in your favor even when you do your best.
Speaking about his game, Hale Jr. said (via PGA Tour X account):
"Golf is just a game. I mean, we're super blessed to get to do this. Golf is what I get to do, but it's not who I am. It's frustrating, disappointing, and confusing at times. You feel like you're doing everything right, and it's not going your way. But thankfully, it's not who I am and kind of what I put my value in. Yeah, going back to this year, it's hard. "
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He went on to add that it's hard to compete on the PGA Tour, but it has been a learning experience for him. Hale Jr. added:
"It's hard to play on the PGA Tour. It's totally different than where I was a year ago. And so, it's been a learning experience this whole time, and I feel like there's a lot of parts of my game that I've gotten a lot better at. I've just struggled in a few areas that kind of were uncommon to me, coming in this year, totally new kind of struggles, and it's exciting to kind of see some things moving in the right direction."
The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic started with its inaugural round on Thursday, June 27, and is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, June 30.
A quick recap of Blaine Hale Jr. performance at Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024
Blaine Hale Jr. started off his game at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic with an impressive first-round score of 68. He teed off on the first hole and made a birdie on the front nine. Hale Jr. continued his strong performance on the back nine, making four birdies and just one bogey on the 18th hole, finishing with a score of 4-under 68.
Hale Jr. maintained his impressive run in the second round. Despite an unfortunate bogey on the 11th hole, he soon carded three birdies on the front nine and two bogeys and a birdie on the back nine, scoring 1-under 71. He settled into a tie for 52nd place with a total score of -5. The cutline for the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic was -4, and Hale Jr. made the cut by two strokes.
Meanwhile, Akshay Bhatia maintained his lead in the game. He held the solo lead after the first round and, following Friday's round, was tied for first place with Aaron Rai at a score of -13. Taylor Montgomery was in third place, tied with Troy Merritt, Cameron Young, and Erik Van Rooyen.
