How Brendan DeJonge Went From 80 To 62

Fun read from Jim McCabe on Zimbabwean Brendan DeJonge, who has made Charlotte his adopted hometown, making an 18-shot swing from round one to round two at the Wells Fargo Championship.

McCabe writes:

In fact, when asked if he felt as if he has stolen a check this week by making the cut after having opened with an 80, de Jonge said, “Very much so, and I’m going to run with it.”

Surprisingly, de Jonge wasn’t significantly improved in two stats categories – fairways and greens. He hit only three more fairways Friday than Thursday (11 to 8) and five more greens (13 to 8). But when it came to the club that matters most, the putter, was a difference a day makes. De Jonge required 34 putts Thursday, just 22 in Round 2.

When he went home Thursday night, de Jonge knew he did not beat one of his 155 competitors. That’s a tough reality to swallow, especially when your parents, your wife, and a list of friends are in attendance. But the glory of the story is this: De Jonge went home, manned the grill, and was still the perfect host.