There isn't a PGA Tour event in his birth state of Iowa nor his home state of Idaho. So this week's 3M Open is as close to a home game as Troy Merritt is going to get. Friday in Round 2, he played TPC Twin Cities like there was a home-field advantage.
The former Spring Lake Park prep golfer shot 7-under 64 on a muggy, windless morning that got him to 8 under for the tournament, tied for 11th place heading into the weekend.
"It was funny, they were a lot louder [Friday] when more birdies were going in," Merritt said of the "several" friends, family and other local golf fans following his group. "Hopefully we can continue that this weekend and see how loud we can get them."
After starting his round with five consecutive pars, Merritt got the crowd charged with a chip-in eagle on the par-5 sixth hole. Merritt gave a shot back on the difficult ninth hole, then shot 6-under 30 on the back nine. That impressive run included a 27-foot putt for birdie on No. 15, part of a stretch of marking four circles on his card in a row.
"Just kind of took care of business," Merritt said. "It's fun when 6 under in nine holes just kind of seems simple. It doesn't happen very much."
It certainly didn't last week in Detroit, when Merritt shot even par and missed the cut at the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic.
That's never the goal, of course, but the extra time before coming to Blaine allowed Merritt to rest up and zero in on another new event.
"That was the main focus this week, put some time in with the driver," Merritt said. "Obviously I know the course. … Still needed to find the driver. Just because you know a golf course doesn't mean you're going to play it well."