Munoz tries to stay cool, keep his lead
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — PGA Tour rookie Sebastian Munoz has found a comfortable routine at The Greenbrier Classic — go play golf, then watch a movie at night.
After catching “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ” following an opening-round 61, Munoz kept it going Friday, shooting a 3-under 67 for a three-stroke lead over Ben Martin and Hudson Swafford heading into the weekend on the Old White TPC.
At the St. Jude Classic last month, Munoz was tied for the lead through 36 holed, but he played the final two rounds in 11 over and finished tied for 60th.
“I feel like Memphis taught me that maybe I was caring too much, trying to hit too many perfect shots all the time,” Munoz said. “[I’ll] just take those past experiences and use them this week.”
Starting his second round on the back nine, Munoz birdied four of his first seven holes, making three putts of over 20 feet. After two bogeys on the front nine, he made a 13-footer for birdie from the fringe on the par-4 seventh. He was at 12-under 128.
No first-round leader has won at Old White TPC since the tournament debuted in 2010. Munoz’s closest challengers all have victories on tour.
Swafford, who hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation Friday, won the CareerBuilder Challenge in January and has two other top 10 finishes this season.
Martin, who won in Las Vegas in 2014, is coming off his first top 10 finish of the year last week at the Quicken Loans National.
Martin shot 67 and Swafford had a 66. Both were at 9 under.
Davis Love III, seeking to become the oldest-ever winner on the PGA Tour, followed up his firstround 63 with a 69. He was at 8 under, along with defending champion Danny Lee (68) and Russell Henley (64).
PORTSTEWART, Northern Ireland — Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Irish Open for the fourth time in five years, leading the four-time major winner to express concerns on Friday about parts of his game ahead of the British Open.
McIlroy shot 1-over 73 in his second round over the links at Portstewart and was 1 over for the tournament, which he is hosting to benefit his foundation. He was four strokes below the cut mark and 14 strokes off the joint leaders, Benjamin Hebert and Daniel Im.
ONEIDA, Wis. — Belgian rookie Laura Gonzalez Escallon birdied three of the final four holes Thursday for a 7-under 65 and a share of the lead with Sei Young Kim in the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
Gonzalez Escallon, the 26-year-old former Purdue player who won twice last season on the Symetra Tour, also started fast in the first-year event, making birdies on three of the first four holes.
“The greens are playing soft, so you can be very aggressive,” Gonzalez Escallon said. “I think that helps with low scoring. It’s a really good course. Every hole is different . ... It’s new for everyone, so I think rookies can really take advantage of that.”