Woods stumbles at Palmer Invitational
ORLANDO, Fla. — Henrik Stenson gave himself another chance to win at Bay Hill Club & Lodge, and he made it a little bit tougher on Tiger Woods.
Stenson made three big par saves at the turn to keep the round from getting away from him, ran off three straight birdies on his back nine and posted a 3-under-par 69 that gave him a share of the 36-hole lead Friday with Bryson DeChambeau in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The chilly weather warmed in the afternoon – just not enough for Woods to do the same. He didn’t make a birdie until the 12th hole, never had a birdie putt inside 12 feet except for the par 5s on the back nine, and did well to scrap it around for a 72 to go into the weekend seven shots behind.
“I didn’t hit the ball close, I didn’t hit the ball well,” Woods said. “But I was just hanging in there … just try not to shoot myself out of the tournament.”
DeChambeau finished strong with an 8-iron shot that sent the ball feet seven feet shy of the hole and set up an eagle on the par-5 16th. He had an approach shot to four feet from the hole for birdie on the 18th, giving him a 66 and his third time with a share of the 36-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
“I think every week I’m good enough to win or play my best,” he said. “It’s just sometimes a kick here, a break here, and that’s just what happens.”
Stenson and DeChambeau were at 11-under 133, two shots clear of PGA Tour rookie Talor Gooch (70).
Stenson had a two-shot lead going into the final round in 2015 at Bay Hill and stumbled at the end after getting put on the clock. Two years ago, he was tied for the lead with five holes to play until two bogeys over the next three holes.
His putting carried him to a 64 in the opening round, and it saved him again Friday.
“I made some great par putts and a bunker up-and-down, so that was really key today to keep the round going,” Stenson said. “I didn’t drop a shot, where I could have easily dropped three shots on those holes. So that was crucial.”
Temperatures were around 50 when he teed off, and it was clear Stenson has been gone from Sweden too long, living in Dubai and more recently in Orlando. If not for the tournament, he described this as a day to sit in the clubhouse with hot chocolate and wait for it to get warm.
“I might be Swedish, but I’ve gone soft,” he said. “I lived in a nice climate for too many years.”
He was strong when it mattered. Stenson shanked a fairway bunker shot short and right of the green on the 16th and pitched some 70 feet long, from where he had to make an eight-footer to escape with par. He found the front bunker on the par-3 17th, hit out to 15 feet and made that one, then saved par from the bunker left of the 18th green down the slope toward the green, holing a five-foot putt.
Stenson settled down from there and ran off three straight birdies,
two from close range, the last one from 20 feet on the fringe.
Ten players were separated by five shots going into the weekend, a group that includes Rickie Fowler (71) and Patrick Reed (70). Rory McIlroy was slowed again, this time with a pair of bogeys to start his back nine, though he could accept a 70. McIlroy was six shots back, which felt like a little bit more considering the way Stenson is playing.
Stenson is renowned for his ball striking, and 12 birdies over 36 holes would suggest he’s dialed in this week.
“Henrik has played great,” McIlroy said. “I’m going to have to play very, very good golf on the weekend to catch him, but I’m in a better position this Friday than I was last Friday, so I’ll take anything I can get.”
Byeong Hun An (66) was fourth at 8 under and Charley Hoffman (66) fifth at 7 under. Joining Fowler and Reed in the tie for sixth at 6 under were Ryan Moore (67), Billy Horschel (70) and former Baylor School standout Luke List (67).
Another former Red Raider, Harris English, had a share of 38th at 1 under after a 71.
List got good news Friday, becoming the 64th player to get into the Dell Technologies Match Play when Adam Scott chose not to play.
Scott was among five players from the top 64 in the World Golf Ranking who are skipping the World Golf Championships event. The others are Fowler, Stenson, Justin Rose and 2017 U.S. Open champion
Brooks Koepka, who is recovering from a wrist injury.
The tournament starts Wednesday at Austin Country Club. Dustin Johnson, who won the event last year, is the No. 1 seed for the second straight time.
The ranking after this week determines the seeds. Monday’s draw will assign players into 16 four-man groups for round-robin play.
Fowler, Rose and Stenson plan to play the Houston Open the following week. Stenson is missing his second World Golf Championship this month.
Clanton makes move
PHOENIX — Cydney Clanton holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 13th and closed with a birdie to take the second-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s Founders Cup.
Clanton shot a 5-under 67, playing the back nine at Wildfire Golf Club in 5-under 31 to reach 9-under 135.
Clanton’s wedge shot on the 13th flew into the cup on the first bounce. She also birdied the par-5 11th and 15th, as well as the par-4 18th. The 28-year-old former Auburn player is winless on the LPGA Tour.
Marina Alex, Karine Icher, Ariya Jutanugarn and Mariajo Uribe were a stroke back on a calmer day after wind made scoring more difficult Thursday.
Jessica Korda and Mo Martin were 7 under, and Michelle Wie topped the group at 6 under.