Smith showing way at Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio — Cameron Smith believes he is playing the best golf of his life, and it shows. He is in the lead at Memorial, a tournament where the Australian doesn’t have a great history.

Smith elicited one of the loudest cheers of a glorious afternoon Friday at Muirfield Village — another anomaly for this weather-plagued tournament — when he holed out with a downhill chip from beyond the green on the par-3 12th that carried him to a 3-under 69.

He kept his oneshot lead over Denny McCarthy and K.H. Lee the rest of the day by doing what Smith does best. He holed a 15-foot putt for par on the next hole and twice made 6-foot par putts for bunker saves down the stretch.

Billy Horschel putted for birdie on every hole and made four of them for a 68 that left him in the group two shots behind with Torrey Pines winner Luke List, PGA Tour rookies Cameron Young and Davis Riley, and Jhonattan Vegas.

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: In Southern Pines, N.C., Jin Young Ko, the world’s No. 1 player, vaulted into contention for a third major championship Friday, playing the final five holes in 3 under to pull within three shots of second-round Minjee Lee and Mina Harigae at Pine Needles.

Harigae and Lee were at 9-under 133 after 36 holes. Lee shot a 5-under 66, and Harigae had a 69.

Three-time major champion Anna Nordqvist and Hye-Jin Choi, who shot a 64 to come within shot of matching the lowest round in the event’s 77-year history, were 7 under. Nordqvist had a 68.

Ko was tied for fifth at 6 under with Swedish amateur Ingrid Lindblad.