American Rickie Fowler fired a six-under-par 66 to grab a three-shot lead at the Memorial tournament on Friday, while world No. 1 Tiger Woods comfortably made the cut.
The 21-year-old PGA Tour rookie shot a bogey-free round that included four birdies and an eagle on the par-five 15th. His 13-under 131 through two rounds tied the 36-hole tournament record.
He will head into the weekend at Muirfield Village with a three-shot lead over Britain’s Justin Rose. Americans Tim Petrovic and Jim Furyk were two shots back of the lead, while US Masters champion Phil Mickelson was seven shots back.
“The few times I have been in contention over the last eight months or so since I turned pro, this is by far the best I’ve felt,” Fowler told reporters. “The game feels good, putter’s working a bit, so we’re having some fun. It’s all about learning, and being in contention as much as possible can only help.”
Rose, who had a share of the first-round lead after playing in ideal conditions, had to play the second round in blustery afternoon conditions. He more than offset a pair of bogeys with five birdies.
Unlike on Thursday when Woods failed to birdie any of the four par-fives, he played the same holes in three-under on Friday with three birdies and a par.
For Woods, who failed to make the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship in April, his three-under-par round of 69 kept him five strokes clear of missing the cut.
Playing in just his fourth tournament of the year, Woods said if not for some near misses he could be closer than the 10 shots off the pace he is now
Woods, in his first tournament since being sidelined with a neck injury and only his fourth since allegations of marital infidelities last year convinced him to take a self-imposed break, pointed out the lack of playing time he has had compared with his competitors.
■WALES OPEN
Reuters, NEWPORT, Wales
German Marcel Siem shared a one-shot lead after Friday’s Wales Open second round in which the Celtic Manor Ryder Cup venue proved the day’s real winner.
Siem was the first to hit the front on six-under-par 136 with a four-under 67 to be joined late in the day by Australian Andrew Dodt, who posted a 70. The pair lead by a stroke from Dane Thomas Bjorn (68).
The top three were among the few who proved immune to mishaps over the Twenty Ten course that will host the match between Europe and the US in October.
Overnight leader Chris Wood of Briton tumbled down the field, five shots off the pace, with three double-bogeys on his card of 76.
Scotland’s 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie ran up a sextuple-bogey 11 on the long second, using up eight putts as his ball kept returning to his feet from the uphill green.
World No. 12 Martin Kaymer of Germany clocked up eight strokes on the par three third, twice hitting into water.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and