Nice to see an nice article by my pal Joe Chemcyz, writing exclusively these days at web.com tour about one of our Canucks, Brad Fritsch who has been playing well this year without breaking through to the winner's circle.. Bryan..
CANONSBURG, Penn. -- Ottawa's Brad Fritsch fired a 7-under 64 and moved into the lead at the halfway point of the Web.com Tour's Mylan Classic in suburban Pittsburgh. Fritsch, a resident of Raleigh, NC, is at 12-under-par 130 for his first two trips around the Southpointe Golf Club, one shot better than veteran Cliff Kresge (65).
Casey Wittenberg, a two-time winner this year and No. 2 on the 2012 money list, steadied his way to a 4-under 67 in the afternoon to reach 10-under 132 and is alone in third.
First-round co-leaders Edward Loar and Robert Streb each carded 2-under 69s and are three off the pace. Nicholas Thompson (67), Peter Lonard (65) and Matt Weibring (63) share sixth place, four back.
Fritsch, No. 43 on the money list, has been making steady progress in the past two months with this being his sixth consecutive cut made.
"I've been hitting it really good but the last couple weeks' performances have been limited by my putter," he said. "For the majority of those tournaments I've hit the ball as good as I can. It's just whether the putter cooperates."
Things changed for the better last week in Knoxville, Tenn. at the News Sentinel Open where Fritsch and his coach, Patrick Kelley, made some adjustments
My stroke was getting real jabby and my speed control was really bad," said Fritsch, who ranks 117th out of 140 players in putts per round this year. "I feel like I'm lengthening my stroke but it's probably not, it's just slower. It feels like it takes a long time to hit the ball, but I've watched it on video and it looks normal. I was just in a bad place and getting fast."
The low point came two weeks ago in Kansas City when Fritsch struck the ball beautifully in the final round of the Midwest Classic but managed only a 2-under 69.
"I snuck in a three-footer on the last hole," he says. "I kept missing very makeable putts."
Things have slowed down for Fritsch, who is reading the greens better, seeing his lines and making putt after putt as his confidence grows.
"Just the way the ball comes off the putter," he said of the nearly instant improvements. "You can only hit your line with the right speed, right? If you read it wrong, fine. On a scale of one to 100 my confidence is about 80 or 85 now."
The result has put Fritsch into the lead for only the second time in his four years on Tour. The other time also came in the Keystone State when he shared the 36-hole lead at the 2006 Northeast Pennsylvania Classic in Scranton
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