Jim Furyk of the US fired a five-under 65 on Friday to seize a share of the second-round lead at the USPGA Tour Championship alongside England’s Luke Donald.
Furyk’s effort was the best round of the week at East Lake Country Club. He and Donald, who scrambled to his second straight 66, were tied on eight-under 132.
They were one stroke in front of Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, who carded a 67 for 133.
South Korea’s K.J. Choi posted his second straight 68 and was alone on 136. He capped his round with a 45-foot birdie putt on the par-three 18th.
It was a further shot back to England’s Paul Casey (71), South Africa’s Retief Goosen (66) and Kevin Na (68).
Furyk was third in the FedEx Cup standings when the playoff series began, but he fell back immediately when he was disqualified from the first event for missing his pro-am tee time when his alarm did not go off.
He came into the playoff finale at 11th in the standings, but if the series points leaders don’t improve, Furyk could yet find himself in position to claim the US$10 million bonus as the series winner.
Furyk could conceivably join Tiger Woods as the only FedEx Cup champion to miss the first playoff event, although in his case it was not by choice.
Ogilvy kept himself close to the lead with a round that included seven birdies, but the St Kilda supporter’s focus leaving the course was the Australian Rules grand final in Melbourne, which he planned to watch overnight.
Phil Mickelson’s hopes of becoming the first player to win back-to-back Tour Championship titles were dwindling, along with his hopes of replacing Woods atop the world rankings.
Mickelson carded a 72 that left him tied for 13th, nine shots adrift.
Casey had a share of the lead during the afternoon until a sloppy finish, bogeying his last three holes.
Casey is fifth in the standings and could win the FedEx Cup crown and bonus with a runner-up finish — depending on how top-seeded Matt Kuchar finishes.
Kuchar settled for an even-par 70 that left him tied for 15th.
Charley Hoffman, third in the standings, carded a 67 for 138.
The remaining players in the top five in the FedEx Cup standings — who have only to win the tournament to capture the playoff prize — are Dustin Johnson and Steve Stricker. Johnson carded a 71 for 144 and Stricker a 68 for 142.
■VIVENDI CUP
Reuters, CHAMBOURCY, France
European Ryder Cup player Padraig Harrington avoided embarrassment by just managing to make the halfway cut at the Vivendi Cup on Friday.
The Irishman recovered from a triple-bogey at the 12th with three birdies over the last six holes for a two-over 74 on the Retz course, leaving him two-under at Golf de Joyevnal.
The world No. 22 is 11 shots behind England’s John Parry (67) and former Ryder Cup team member Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden (66), who share the lead at 13-under.
Parry finished with a pair of birdies, while Sandelin, a member of the losing 1999 European Ryder Cup team, was helped by a purple patch on the front nine that included a birdie at five, an eagle at six and another a birdie at the seventh.
Four players — South Africa’s George Coetzee (66), Australia’s Richard Green (66), England’s James Morrison (68) and French rookie Julien Guerrier (69) — are in second place, three behind the leaders at 10-under.
■PANASONIC OPEN
AP, KOBE, Japan
Ryo Ishikawa shot a hole-in-one yesterday en route to a one-under 70 to leave the Japanese teenager a stroke behind leader Ryuichi Oda at the Asia Pacific Panasonic Open.
The 19-year-old Ishikawa sank the hole-in-one with a seven iron at the par three, 187-yard sixth hole at Rokko Kokusai Golf Club.
Oda also shot a 70 for a 36-hole total of four-under 138.
Shintaro Kai shot a 72 and is tied with Ishikawa.
Defending champion Daisuke Maruyama shot an even-par 72 and is a stroke back of Ishikawa, along with first-round leader S.K. Ho of South Korea and five others.
Taiwan’s best-placed player after two rounds was Lu Wei-chih, who shot a 71 for a two-over 144.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
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