For the fourth time in as many weeks, the PGA Tour suspended play in one or both of the first two rounds of an event due to darkness.
This time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, just two players were left to complete their second rounds Saturday morning. Justin Suh and Orlando club pro Greg Koch were both still playing the 9th hole when the horn sounded at 6:47 p.m. They decided it was too dark to finish at Bay Hill Club and Lodge.
Koch, an assistant professional at the Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando who won the 2022 North Florida Section Player of the Year to earn his spot in the field, was on the cut line at two over on his 36th hole.
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A par would be a career first for Koch: his first ever made cut in a PGA Tour event in his sixth try. This is his second time playing the Arnold Palmer Invitational after teeing it up last season. He also played in this season’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship and the 2021 PGA Championship.
A birdie, while thrilling for Koch, would have been dooming for the seven other pros Koch was tied with at two over. Koch was in a tie for 65th, meaning a birdie would have made two over a tie for 66th and moved the cutline to two over and Koch to one over. (Good news for him, bad for the seven others.)
Still, the 37-year-old had his work cut out for him on the 9th, Friday’s second-hardest hole. His tee shot landed in the rough and left him 208 yards to the green before he told officials he would finish Saturday.
He returned at 6:57 a.m. and played his second short of the green but in the fairway, a little more than 30 yards from the hole. From there he played his pitch to just 3 1/2 feet and drained the putt to shoot 71 and make his first PGA Tour cut. A small gallery of his family and friends were on hand, despite the early hour.
“I’m so proud of him,” his wife Katie told PGATour.com. “He’s worked really hard for this and he deserves it.”
It’s a moment Koch, his family and friends will probably never forget, but it also means a big payday for both him and the rest of the players who made the cut at two over. With the Arnold Palmer’s designated event status, this week’s massive $20 million purse means Koch and everyone else who made the cut is guaranteed at least $40,200.
Koch turned right around after finishing his second round at 7:07 a.m. and shot 76 in the third round. As of this writing, he’s in a tie for 70th out of the 72 players to make the cut.