Rivals tied for the lead in Maui
RYAN Moore and Justin Thomas finished strong to share the lead going into the weekend at the SBS Tournament of Champions.
Moore birdied four of his last five holes, including a pair of wedges that he stuffed into tap-in range on the 16th and 18th holes that carried him to a six-under 67. He played in the same group with Thomas, who birdied his last two holes for a 67.
They were at 12-under 134, one shot ahead of Patrick Reed (65) and Jimmy Walker (70).
As many as six players were tied for the lead at one point on another picturesque afternoon along the rugged coast of Maui.
One of them was Hideki Matsuyama, going for his fourth straight victory worldwide, until he tried to clear the gorge on the 17th from thick rough and paid for it. He made double bogey, and a birdie on the last hole for a 68 – his 12th straight round in the 60s on the PGA Tour – left him three shots behind.
Reed is still struggling with an illness and learned the limits of what he can do when not playing so well. He hit every green in regulation, missed only one fairway and posted a 65.
Walker, who had a two-shot lead after the opening round, saw too many putts burn the edge of the cup. He finally dropped a shot on the 17th when he choked down to the shaft of a wedge from thick rough and didn’t reach the green. A birdie on the final hole still kept him right in the mix to atone for a playoff loss at Kapalua two years ago.
Jordan Spieth also was in the mix, but only briefly. The defending champion ran off nine birdies, five of them after taking a double bogey on the par-three eighth hole. But he hooked a tee shot into the hazard on the 17th, hit his next into another hazard and missed a four-foot putt to take triple bogey. Spieth shot a 69 and was seven shots back.
Jason Day, the world No 1 who is playing for the first time since September, had a 69 and was five shots behind.
Moore is coming off the best part of his career last season. He won the John Deere Classic, lost in a playoff at the Tour Championship, was the final captain’s pick for his first Ryder Cup and made the putt that clinched the cup for the Americans.
He still feels like the same player, though the narrative has changed. He’s now a Ryder Cup player, and he’d like to pile up more victories.
Moore had a pair of early three-putts from long range, one of them on a par-five, but he found his groove with a 25-foot birdie putt on the 12th hole. That carried him to his big finish. The only hole he didn’t birdie was at No 17, where a 12-footer lipped out.
Thomas, determined to be more accurate off the tee this year, tied for the lead with a tee shot into three feet on the parthree 11th, and he appeared to escape trouble on the par-five 15th when he was able to slash his second shot out of the hazard. But he came up short of the elevated green and still left with a bogey, which feels worse as long as he hits it.
But he holed a 15-foot putt on the 17th, and his pitch from short of the 18th green settled six feet away for another birdie.
Meanwhile, three months after captaining the United States to Ryder Cup glory, Davis Love has crashed back to earth, literally, breaking his collarbone in three places, the Golf Channel reported.
Love incurred the injury in a snowboarding accident in Idaho, the Golf Channel said, and underwent surgery on Friday.
It was the third major procedure in four years for Love, who previously had back and hip surgeries.
In October, Love, was widely lauded for guiding the US team to Ryder Cup victory over the Europe, after presiding over a losing effort four years before.
The 52-year-old American has won 21 PGA Tour events, including the 1997 PGA Championship.
Love was scheduled to play next week’s Sony Open in Honolulu, but is now expected to be out of action for about three months. - AP