Molinari and Poulter share Masters lead
augusta — Reigning British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy charged into the lead Friday at the Masters as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy began their second rounds at Augusta National.
An afternoon drama was set to unfold with a fistful of contenders within two shots on one of golf’s greatest stages, playing receptive after early rain but still confounding many of the sport’s top shotmakers.
Sixth-ranked Bryson DeChambeau shared the 18-hole lead with fourth-ranked US countryman Brooks Koepka after opening 66s and stayed atop the field through his front nine thanks to birdies at the par-5 second and eighth holes against bogeys at the seventh and ninth, when his approaches went over the greens.
But DeChambeau, whose best major finish in 10 starts was a share of 15th at the 2016 US Open, was undone at the par-4 10th, when he chipped over the green, pitched to 19 feet and missed his bogey putt, stumbling back to four-under.
That turned the lead over to European stars Molinari, who birdied the par-3 12th, and England’s Ian Poulter, who birdied 12 and the par-5 13th. But Poulter stumbled to a bogey at the 14th and that left Molinari alone at the top.
Molinari, who opened Thursday on 70, birdied the par-4 third and left the front nine with back-to-back birdies.
The 36-year-old from Turin won his first major title at last year’s British Open and went on to be Europe’s hero at last year’s Ryder Cup, going 5-0 in a victory over the United States in France.
Seventh-ranked Molinari, never better than 19th at the Masters, won last month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational and was third in the WGC Match Play.
Poulter, a long-time European Ryder Cup star seeking his first major title in his 60th career major start, had a bogey-birdie start then reeled off nine pars before his back-toback birdies and bogey leaving “Amen Corner.” That left him in a share of third on five-under with Australian Jason Day and Koepka.—