Merritt ties course mark in Northern Trust
Troy Merritt isn’t obsessed with his position in the FedEx Cup and what he needs to advance in the PGA Tour’s postseason. He figures the best solution is good golf, and he delivered his best round of the year Thursday in The Northern Trust in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Merritt began with a 10-foot par save, followed with a pair of 20-foot birdie putts and took advantage of calm, rainsoftened Liberty National by tying the course record with a 9-under 62 for a one-shot lead over Dustin Johnson.
It wasn’t a career low – Merritt twice has shot 61 – but it might have been his best round hardly anyone saw.
The storm was so fierce on the eve of the FedEx Cup playoffs opener that the public was not allowed in until 10 a.m., nearly 3 hours after the round began.
Tiger Woods, in only his third round since the U.S. Open, made double bogey on the shortest hole on the course, three-putted from 15 feet and had three bogeys from the fairway in a listless round of 75.
LPGA: Jane Park, Anne van Dam and Mi Hyang Lee took advantage of calm conditions in the opening round of the Ladies Scottish Open, shooting 8-under 63s to share the lead in North Berwick, Scotland.
Lee won the Ladies Scottish Open two years ago at Dundonald. The veteran Park and the rookie van Dam are seeking their first LPGA Tour victories.
Moriya Jutanugarn was one shot back on a sunny day of low scoring at The Renaissance Club.
U.S. Women’s Amateur: Alexa Pano and Andrea Lee, the highest-ranked player at the Amateur, had a nail-biter Round of 16 match in West Point, Mississippi.
Lee left the course victorious in 23 holes after Pano missed a putt for par to extend the match. Lee, the nation’s No. 2 ranked amateur, forced extra holes with a long putt on 18.
Lucy Li, 16, the second-highest ranked amateur in the field at No. 3, made the quarterfinals with a birdie on the 17th hole to card 2-and-1 win over Pimnipa Panthong.