Westwood leads by one stroke
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Lee Westwood isn’t interested in comparing himself with the player who rose to No. 1 in the world a decade ago. All he knows is he’s playing some of his best golf, and he gets another chance to see if it can hold up against the best field.
Westwood had all the shots Friday in a bogey-free round at The Players Championship, with two birdies at the start and a nifty pitch to a troublesome pin on the par-5 ninth to close with a another birdie and a 6-under 66.
That gave him a one-shot lead over Matt Fitzpatrick (68) going into the weekend on the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass, with U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau (69) not too far behind.
Sergio Garcia was another shot back after a 72 that looked like it was a lot worse with so many putts the Spaniard missed, including a 23-inch par putt on the 15th hole that followed a 5-foot par putt he missed on the 14th.
Dustin Johnson shot a 70, leaving him eight shots behind.
When the second round was suspended by darkness, 16 players were within five shots of the lead.
The weekend is as much about who’s missing.
Rory McIlroy, who opened with a 79, wasn’t much better Friday. He made another double bogey on the 10th hole and shot 75. His 36-hole total of 154 was his highest in his 11 appearance at The Players Championship. He is the first defending champion to miss the cut since Rickie Fowler in 2016.
Four players from the top 10 in the world missed the cut – Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Tyrrell Hatton and Webb Simpson, whose hopes ended with one of 13 balls in the water at the island-green 17th.
The Madison duo of Steve Stricker (77) and Jerry Kelly (79) were also below the projected cut line.