Hanging around Woods has chance going into weekend
POTOMAC, Md. — Beau Hossler has been hanging around the top of the leaderboard on weekends in search of his first PGA Tour victory, and now he gets another chance at the Quicken Loans National.
Tiger Woods is looking for his first PGA Tour win in a long time, and TPC Potomac at Avenel is providing that opportunity as well.
Hossler, a 23-year-old in his first full season on tour, birdied four of his last five holes and finished with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 4-under-par 66. He was at 9-under 131 with Ryan Armour (65) and Brian Gay (64), who made short birdie putts on the par-3 ninth hole to finish their rounds and tie for the lead.
Woods finished a steamy morning on the course with two pars that felt just as big.
On a day in which he made seven birdies — all but two of them from 15 feet or longer — Woods didn’t let a good round go to waste at the end. He saved par from the bunker on the eighth and ninth holes for a 65. That matched his low score of the year and left him four shots behind, the closest he has been going into the weekend since he was two shots back at the Valspar Championship in early March.
“I’m not that far back,” Woods said. “The scores aren’t going to be that low, and it’s going to be a tough weekend. It will be over 100 degrees, and it will be a long weekend mentally and physically. I’m in a good position now.”
His 79 PGA Tour wins rank second alltime to Sam Snead’s 82, but Woods hasn’t tasted victory since the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.
Hossler has at least a share of the 36-hole lead for the third time this year, and he had a close call in the Houston Open, losing in a playoff to Ian Poulter on April 1. He had a 66 this past Sunday at the Travelers Championship to tie for second behind Bubba Watson, and he has shot in the 60s in 21 of his last 38 rounds.
“I’ve had a lot of really good rounds. Unfortunately, I’ve had some kind of high ones that are uncharacteristic for me,” Hossler said. “I think that was six in a row in the 60s, so I’m feeling good. I’m getting it in play nicely off the tee, and I’m rolling the putter really well, so that obviously helps.”
Francesco Molinari (65) — who hit all 18 greens in regulation — and Billy Horschel (68) were tied for fourth, with Zac Blair (66) another stroke back in sixth. Woods was tied for 11th in a group that included Rickie Fowler — the field’s only world top-10 golfer — and they were among 20 players separated by four shots.
The course was rated the fourth-toughest on the PGA Tour schedule last year behind only three majors, though the greens remained mostly receptive even under a blistering sun Friday.
“I think the course changed a little bit at the end of the day,” Horschel said after finishing in the afternoon. “I think the course will be a little bit firm, a little bit faster, but I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere what it was last year, so I think you can still go out there and score. We’re going to try to put two more rounds in the 60s, see where it puts us for Sunday.”
Chattanooga’s Stephan Jaeger (73), a tour rookie, was tied for 57th at par to make the cut with a stroke to spare. The former Baylor School and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga standout had missed six straight cuts on the PGA Tour.
Baylor School graduates Harris English and Keith Mitchell missed the cut — English by four strokes after a 73 and Mitchell by a stroke after a 71.
Kelly finishes well
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Jerry Kelly took a one-shot lead over Miguel Angel Jimenez into the weekend at the U.S. Senior Open.
Kelly chipped in for birdie on No. 18 to highlight his round of 1-under 69. He was 5 under at the tournament’s halfway point and will play today in the final pairing with Jimenez, who was in the group with Kelly the first two days as well.
Jimenez, who won the Regions Tradition last month for his first PGA Tour Champions major title, shot a bogey-free round of 68 on Friday. He hit 17 greens in regulation but made only a pair of birdie putts on the tricky greens at The Broadmoor Golf Club.
Tim Petrovic, whose 65 was the best round of the day, was third at 3 under. Five golfers were tied for fourth at 1 under: Philip Golding (67), Paul Goydos (67), Jay Haas (69), Davis Love III (68) and Deane Pappas (71).
Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz won’t be around for the weekend, but the 51-year-old former Atlanta Braves pitcher — in the field via a qualifying tournament this month in Peachtree City, Georgia — shaved 12 strokes off his opening round when he shot a 77 on Friday.
LPGA: Trio on top
KILDEER, Ill. — Lydia Ko surged into contention at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, shooting a 6-under 66 to move two strokes off the lead.
The 21-year-old New Zealander shook off a rough first round at Kemper Lakes Golf Club to reach 4 under and give herself a shot to win her third major title.
Brooke Henderson (71) — the 2016 tournament winner — first-round leader Sung Hyun Park (72) and So Yeon Ryu (69) shared the lead at 6-under 138.
Carlota Ciganda (69) was one stroke back in fourth, with Moriya Jutanugarn (72), Ko and Annie Park (69) tied for fifth at 4 under in the third of the LPGA Tour’s five annual majors.
The cut was at 3 over, and top-ranked Inbee Park (76) missed it by two strokes.
First-time leader
PARIS — Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult continued to bounce back at the French Open, shooting a 6-under 65 to lead by two strokes halfway through the tournament.
Kinhult, who opened Thursday with four straight bogeys before rallying for a 71, produced an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys in Friday’s second round to move to 6-under 136.
“It’s a position I have never been in before, so we’ll see,” said the 21-year-old Kinhult, who is playing in his 31st European Tour event.
England’s Chris Wood was second after a 68 at Le Golf National, where the Ryder Cup will be held in September. Sixth-ranked Jon Rahm (69) and firstround leader Bradley Dredge (72), who ended his round with two bogeys, were tied for third at 3 under.
Second-ranked Justin Thomas (70), a PGA Tour regular, was tied for fourth at 2 under with fellow American Julian Suri (70), Matthew Fitzpatrick (69) and Gregory Havret (70).
The cut was at 5 over. Tommy Fleetwood, the tourney’s 2017 winner, missed it by a stroke after shooting a 73.