ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium and Cameron John of Australia shared the lead at the Dunhill Links Championship, where players ranked outside the top 400 in the world shaded the big names and top golf leaders on Friday.
Jon Rahm, one of 14 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf in the field, bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 71 at Kingsbarns and was six shots behind. Rory McIlroy, playing in a group with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, had a 69 at Kingsbarns and was eight back.
Colsaerts, a one-time Ryder Cup player who has fallen to No. 695 in the world, showed he hasn't lost his penchant for going low by making eight birdies for a 7-under 65 at Carnoustie.
John is No. 1,007 in the world ranking. He opened with a career-best 62 and followed that on Friday with a 68 at St. Andrews, his round slowed by taking two from a pot bunker and making double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole.
They were at 14-under 130, one shot ahead of David Law of Scotland (No. 454) and Darren Fichardt of South Africa (No. 462).
Law is trying to secure his European tour card and shot 67 at St. Andrews. Fichardt, who opened with a career-best 61, could manage only a 72 on the Old Course.
The tournament, featuring one professional and one amateur over three courses, began with Monahan playing alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund that backs rival LIV Golf.
They are in the midst of trying to negotiate a deal in which the Public Investment Fund would become a minority investor in the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises.
Monahan, whose partner is Billy Horschel, played on Friday with McIlroy and his father. Al-Rumayyan has LIV player Dean Burmester as a partner. He played alongside golf power broker Johann Rupert of South Africa, who is largely responsible for this tournament.
Rupert told reporters on Thursday, "I have known Jay for a very long time, and I have got to know His Excellency (Al-Rumayyan) as well, and they both only have the best interests of golf at heart. We need to keep on having days like today. Golf is supposed to be a maker of friends.
“We have a war going on in Ukraine and a terrible situation in the Middle East and another war going on in Sudan and we argue about golf? Surely all we want to do is see the best players in the world playing together.”
The Dunhill Links through two days has provided an odd collection of players at the top, though the 41-year-old Colsaerts has been on a big stage previously.
He is best known for winning a fourballs match practically by himself at Medinah in the 2012 Ryder Cup. Colsaerts made eight birdies and an eagle as he and Lee Westwood beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.
Colsaerts has only one win in the 12 years since that Ryder Cup, but found something at a tournament he loves playing.
“I've been playing pretty well since yesterday,” Colsaerts said. “St. Andrews, I really plotted my way around. But here (Carnoustie), it requires a little bit more of local knowledge. Having played in this definitely helps.”
He ran off three straight birdies around the turn, and then capped off three birdies in four holes late in the round, ending his run on the tough 17th.
“It all fit together,” Colsaerts said.
For McIlroy and Rahm and the other top players, they go to St. Andrews on Saturday. Monahan and Horschel will be with Rupert and Louis Oosthuizen, while McIlroy and his father play alongside Al-Rumayyan and Burmester.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Jay Monahan from the U.S. on the 10th on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland, Thursday Oct. 3, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, left, and Billy Horschel of the U.S. react on the first tee on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, Friday Oct. 4, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a putt on the first green on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, Friday Oct. 4, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
Yasir Al Rumayyan tees off the third on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland, Friday Oct. 4, 2024. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)
WARE, England (AP) — Aaron Rodgers talked some football but mostly relationships — those with coach Robert Saleh and former teammate Davante Adams, in particular — after the New York Jets landed in London on Friday.
The four-time NFL MVP even tossed in some local lingo, saying “knackered” and “gobsmacked” during his 11-minute session with reporters ahead of Sunday’s game against the undefeated Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Rodgers denied he and Saleh have any sort of rift, saying “there’s some driving force” outside the Jets' facility trying to “put a wedge between Robert and I.”
Pre-snap penalties in a 10-9 loss to Denver last week led Saleh to question “whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence ″ that Rodgers uses to confuse defenses. Saleh later clarified he meant the entire operation of the offense, not specifically Rodgers' cadence. He said the Jets are “always going to push the envelope” with cadence because of Rodgers' success with it.
“Cadence has been a weapon," Rodgers said at the team's hotel north of London. "I think he kind of went in and got a chance Monday to kind of respond to all of that.”
The 40-year-old quarterback also made it clear he and Saleh are not at odds.
“We’re really good friends," he said. "We enjoy each other. We spend time almost every day, I’m in his office talking about things, talking about the energy of the team, the focus of the team, what we need to get done, how I can help him out, how he can help me out.
"So we’ve got a great relationship.”
Another hot topic this week has been the status of the frustrated Adams, who could be available in a trade after reportedly requesting the Las Vegas Raiders to deal him. The Jets have been mentioned as a potential destination because of the relationship between Adams and Rodgers, who were teammates in Green Bay for eight seasons.
Rodgers prefaced his comments on Adams by saying he wasn't sure how much he could say because of the NFL's tampering rules. But he clearly indicated his preference when it comes to a potential reunion.
“I still have a close friendship with him," Rodgers said. “We spend a lot of time in the offseason together. He’s a great guy and a great player. The rest of that is out of my hands.”
When asked about how a player might benefit from a change of scenery, Rodgers responded: “The grass is green where you water it. ... You can make a special situation out of being anywhere.”
Rodgers, who was sacked five times and hit 14 times by the Broncos, said he feels “a little banged up” but overall “pretty good.” He received treatment this week on a sore left knee, but was a full participant at practice Thursday at the team's facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, after being listed as limited Wednesday when he didn't join his teammates during stretching.
Rodgers might be 40, but he's embracing the NFL's aggressive international push. Brazil hosted its first NFL game this season. Spain gets its first in 2025.
“Spain would be fun,” Rodgers said when asked about where else he'd like to play. He didn't stop there, though: “Mexico, France, Italy."
“We know the reach that we have," Rodgers said of the league. "It's great to be over here, be a part of it. Love that we’re branching out, love how we can grow the game.”
Two years ago in London, Rodgers and the Packers lost 27-22 to the New York Giants.
“I definitely want to win in London, for sure,” he said.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in a training session in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) speaks during a press conference in Ware, England, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, ahead of the game between New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
