Leader should pull up rank
David Lingmerth took a step toward turning his game around with a sevenunder-par 65 at the Memorial on Friday. It gave the Swede a one-shot lead going into the weekend at Dublin, Ohio.
Lingmerth, a 28-year-old ranked 212th in the world, is at 12-under 132 after making birdies on 14 of his last 30 holes.
For Jason Dufner, it has been a thrill a minute.
Dufner made a five on a par three and a three on a par five. And that was before he made a hole in one — his fourth eagle of the week — on the par-three 16th hole. He followed that with a bogey. It was relatively boring after that, and the former PGA champion wound up with a 67 that put him in the final group with Lingmerth, just one shot behind.
Dufner didn’t have much to say — he rarely does, even when he won the PGA Championship two years ago — and spoke only to Ohio-based reporters. Until a tie for eighth last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson, he had gone just over a year without a top 10 on American soil.
“I’m hitting it really good,” Dufner said. “I’m having enough good holes, good shots, to offset some of the mistakes I’ve had.”
Ryan Moore, gearing up for a U.S. Open near his hometown outside Tacoma, Wash, had another 67 and was at 10-under 134, along with Andy Sullivan of England, who can earn a spot at Chambers Bay with a good week at the Memorial.
A trio of past champions — Hideki Matsuyama, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose — were in the group that was three shots behind. Joining them was Patrick Rodgers, who made eight birdies in a round of 66 and is poised to secure at least temporary PGA Tour membership.
Masters champion Jordan Spieth went out in 31 and was creeping up on the lead when he wound up on the wrong side of the 10th green and made double bogey, and he never recovered. Spieth missed a half-dozen putts from 10 feet or in and had to settle for a 70 that put him six shots behind.
Phil Mickelson made a late eagle for a 68 and was in the group at four-under 140. Tiger Woods had to make a par putt on the 18th hole to avoid missing the cut in a tournament he has won five times. He was at one under. LPGA
Suzann Pettersen shot a seven-under 65 for a share of the second-round lead with Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe in the Manulife LPGA Classic at Cambridge, Canada.
Pettersen had seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch at Whistle Bear Golf Club. The 34-year-old Norwegian won the last of her 14 LPGA Tour titles in 2013. Uribe had five birdies in a 66 to match Pettersen at 13-under 131.
Cristie Kerr, tied for the first-round lead with Cheyenne Woods and P.K. Kongkraphan after matching the course record with a 63, was a stroke back after a 69.
Woods had a 73 to drop into a tie for 19th at eight under. She is Tiger Woods’ niece. Champions
Bill Andrade and Argentina’s Jose Coceres share the first-round lead at six-under 66 in the Champions Tour’s Principal Charity Classic at Des Moines.
Andrade had seven birdies and a three-putt bogey on No. 14 at Wakonda Club. The four-time PGA Tour winner teamed with Joe Duran to win the Legends of Golf in April for his first Champions Tour title.
Coceres had six birdies — four on the final seven holes — in his bogey-free round.