Webb of suitable lies
Simpson playing well and sitting pretty in 36-hole lead
NORTON — It was a beautiful day once again at TPC Boston, and with the wind down by comparison to the opening round, it fostered prime scoring conditions.
The field at TPC Boston did not miss out on this opportunity to go low.
Webb Simpson put an exclamation point on a brilliant afternoon, dropping in a long putt from off the front of the 18th green for an eagle-3 to cap an 8-under-par 63 that delivered the 36-hole lead at the Dell Technologies Championship. Simpson is 11-under for the tournament, which is 1 shot better than Tyrrell Hatton, who went out in the morning and also shot a 63, and first-round leader Justin Rose, who carded a 67 yesterday.
“I was excited and you just kind of laugh at those, because you’re not trying to make them, you’re just trying to get them close,” said Simpson, the 2012 U.S. Open winner. “Those moments are always fun on the last hole. Honestly, it brings me back to 2011, making a couple of putts when I won.”
That’s when Simpson defeated Chez Reavie in a playoff here. It was part of Simpson’s best season to date on tour and finished second in the Tour Championship.
He is in contention to top that this year having won the Players Championship in May and tied for second two weeks ago.
Simpson was 1-under through four holes, but made three straight birdies beginning on No. 5 — all from inside 10 feet — to move up the leaderboard.
He started the back nine with a birdie and added another at No. 13, before the emphatic finish, choosing to putt instead of chip his third shot.
Tiger Woods is in a share of 21st at 4-under after a bogey-free round of 66 yesterday.
The big gallery was following along once again and he did not disappoint.
“I felt a lot better with my irons,” Woods said. “(Friday) I hit a couple of bad ones, and (yesterday) I did not. The only bad shot I hit (yesterday) was my tee shot on (the eighth), I stuck it in the ground, but other than that, it was a good day.”
He got his round going with a birdie at the par-3 third, putting his tee shot to inside 11 feet and chipped to 4 feet at the par-5 seventh to go out in 34.
He added birdies at Nos. 10, 14 and 17 for a 32 on the inward nine, dropping a 25-footer at the 14th.
“I feel really more comfortable and confident with this putter,” Woods said. “My hands remember this swing of the putter and the release of it… Right now, I’m just letting it rip and the bad ones are lipping out and the good ones are lipping in.
“Last week they were not — the bad ones didn’t have a chance and the good ones were lipping out. So I’ve made some nice progress in the last week.”
Over his last 29 holes, Woods is 7-under with just one bogey.
A British army is hot on Simpson’s heels with Hatton and Rose at minus-10 and U.S. Open runnerup Tommy Fleetwood alone in fourth but 3 shots off the lead after a 65.
Like Simpson, all three will be at the Ryder Cup next month.
Hatton made news last week in a desperate bid to get his game going by buying a club off the rack. More accurately, he sent his caddie in to make the purchase.
“I was on What’s App video, with him, because I was too embarrassed to go into the store to buy a putter,” said Hatton, who posted a 73 when he decided to break up with his previous putter. “Obviously he made a good choice, but it’s just one of those things, it’s not normal that this happens.”
He pointed out that the club manufacturer trucks that set up on the range before the event leave the night before the tournament begins.
Hatton posted the receipt for $172.72 on social media and it has been money well spent. He finished strong last week with a closing-round 64 that got him into 20th place for the week and 71st in the FedEx Cup standings.
That momentum has continued this weekend. Even though the new Sigma G Darby has not resulted in Hatton dropping putts left and right, it’s mainly because he hasn’t needed to because he has been hitting his irons so well.
Of his eight birdies yesterday, four were inside 5 feet and the longest from 13 feet.
Hatton said Ping is working on a few custom putters that should be available to him in the next couple weeks.
“I’m excited to see them, sort of custom shapes that I’ve asked for,” he said. “They’ll be arriving in the next week or two. If I feel like they’ll be better I’ll switch into that. I haven’t quite gotten attached to the one I’m using yet, though it’s been working well. If I have a great weekend, I might not be able to change.”
Rose made five birdies, but was dinged for his first bogey of the weekend with a 3-putt on the 14th.