Why did Patton Kizzire hug a tree ahead of the 2024 Procore Championship round 2?

Patton Kizzire hugged a tree as a part of a mental exercise ahead of the second round in the 2024 Procore Championship. The PGA Tour player said he is working on his game's mental and physical aspects.

Tree hugging is an approach given to Kizzire by his new mental coach. Apart from tree-hugging, earthing which involves walking barefoot outdoors is another such mental exercise. The coach lives near his home in St. Simons, Georgia.

Kizzire started strongly in the second round of the 2024 Procore Championship. After scoring 66 in the first round, he carded a bogey-free 65 in the second. He scored seven birdies on the 1st, 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes. Going into the third round, he is on the top of the leaderboard with a score of 13-under 132.

David Lipsky is placed second a shot behind while Patrick Fishburn is positioned third. Patton Kizzire was the runner-up at the tournament in 2016. He lost by a shot to Brendal Steele. He looked optimistic for this year's tournament and said (via PGA Tour):

"I think I should have won (Procore 2016). I had the lead with a few holes to play, another guy played really well, Brendan Steele played very well at the end and beat me by a stroke. I know I can do it and I'm looking forward to the opportunity this weekend."

The first tournament of the FedExCup Fall began on Thursday, September 12, and will conclude on Sunday, September 15, at Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Kizzire will tee off at 5:20 pm with Lipsky in the third round of the Procore Championship on Saturday, September 14.

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A look at Patton Kizzire's performance in 2024

Patton Kizzire has had a dismal 2024 season. In 18 starts on the PGA Tour, he has had two top-10 finishes and six top-25 finishes. However, he has also had 10 missed cuts.

Kizzire's best performances include a T8 at the Barracuda Championship, a T10 at the Myrtle Beach Classic, and a T13 at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His other notable finishes include a T20 at Rocket Mortgage Classic, a T23 at Corales Puntacana Championship, and a T24 at CJ Cup Byron Nelson.

Here's a look at Kizzire's performances in the 2024 season:

2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments

• Sony Open in Hawaii: T13 (68-65-68-67, 268, -12)
• The American Express: Missed Cut (71-74-68, 213, -3)
• WM Phoenix Open: Missed Cut (76-69, 145, +3)
• Mexico Open at Vidanta: Missed Cut (69-72, 141, -1)
• Cognizant Classic: Missed Cut (73-76, 149, +7)
• Puerto Rico Open: Missed Cut (70-71, 141, -3)
• Texas Children's Houston Open: Missed Cut (71-74, 145, +5)
• Corales Puntacana Championship: T23 (70-66-74-67, 277, -11)
• THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson: T24 (69-66-66-68, 269, -15)
• Myrtle Beach Classic: T10 (70-65-67-68, 270, -14)
• RBC Canadian Open: Missed Cut (76-72, 148, +8)
• Rocket Mortgage Classic: T20 (69-69-69-70, 277, -11)
• John Deere Classic: Missed Cut (71-70, 141, -1)
• ISCO Championship: T49 (66-67-71-73, 277, -11)
• Barracuda Championship: T8 (5-10-12-13, 40, +40)
• 3M Open: Missed Cut (76-73, 149, +7)
• Wyndham Championship: Missed Cut (69-69, 138, -2)

2024 Korn Ferry Tournaments

• Club Car Championship at The Landings: Withdrawn (80, +8)