American Chris Couch posted three pairs of birdies in a blistering back nine of 29 on Friday to tie compatriot Garrett Willis for the second-round lead at the Transitions Championship at Innisbrook.
Couch fired a seven-under par 64 and nearby resident Willis posted 67 for nine-under par 133 totals to share a one-stroke lead over Spain’s Sergio Garcia and American Webb Simpson.
Another stroke off the pace at seven under par were overnight leader Paul Casey, who shot level-par 71, and fellow-Briton Justin Rose, who birdied seven of 10 holes from the seventh to roar up the leaderboard with a 65.
Joining them on 135 were Brendon de Jonge of Zimbabwe and Americans Marc Turnesa, Roland Thatcher and Gary Woodland.
Willis and Couch, both one-time winners on the US PGA Tour who have had a long wait for a follow-up victory, took best advantage of the usually challenging Copperhead course, defanged so far this week by benign conditions.
“To have two days like this, this calm, is crazy,” said Willis, who lives a one-hour drive from the course and led last year after the first round before soaring to a 77. “I think we are in for a pretty windy weekend, because there’s no way it’s going to continue.”
Couch said he was driving the ball well and putting his approaches into good spots on the fast, sloping greens.
“Just got her going on the back nine today,” he said. “Made a few long putts, and had a little 29 there to show for it.”
Couch notched his only US Tour victory in New Orleans in 2006, while Willis won his only title at the 2001 Tucson Open.
Garcia used his latest putting style, a claw grip, to shoot 66 after making birdies on three of his first four holes as he registered his second bogey-free round.
“I hit the ball nicely. I hit a lot of fairways, I hit a lot of greens and been chipping and putting nicely,” said Garcia, who shrugged off a bee sting on his finger early in the round. “So everything seems to be on the right way.”
Rose is using a different putter this week, a blade with no lines on it that he used to good effect at the 2008 Masters.
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