Dufner’s collapse clears way for Summerhays
DUBLIN, Ohio — Daniel Summerhays shot a 4-under 68 that took him from a five-shot deficit to a three-shot lead Saturday in the Memorial.
More than his solid round was a collapse by Jason Dufner, who lost his lead with four straight bogeys on the front nine and hit two balls in the water on the back nine for a 77. Dufner went from the 36-hole record to four shots out of the lead.
At least he’s still in the game, and he has plenty of company.
Summerhays was at 13-under 203. Matt Kuchar, who won the Memorial four years ago, ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and shot a 67 that gets him in the final group with Summerhays as he tries to end 82 PGA Tour starts without a victory.
The last three winners of the Memorial had never won on the PGA Tour, and Summerhays fits that mold. The 33-year-old from Utah is in his seventh year.
Bubba Watson overcame a heckler on the 18th hole with one last birdie for a 68. He was four shots behind along with Justin Thomas (69) and Dufner. Rickie Fowler (72) salvaged an up-and-down day and was five behind.
But it all started with Dufner.
“Today was pretty pathetic on all accounts, so
have to play better tomorrow,” he said.
It started on the second hole when Dufner missed the green to the left from the rough and took bogey. He missed a 6-foot par putt on the third, then hit into the right bunker on the par-3 4th and made another bogey. And then he three-putted the par-5 fifth for a fourth straight bogey.
Dufner was still tied for the lead when his wedge on the par-5
11th spun back down the green and into the water, leading to double bogey. It was a three-shot swing when Summerhays made birdie, and Dufner never caught up.
He had said his breathing exercises over putting didn’t mean he would always have good days, and this was a bad one. Dufner had a pair of three-putts, and he twice missed birdie putts from
6 feet. He capped off his day by pulling his tee shot into the water and making another bogey.
“The tournament is not over,” Dufner said. “It will be over tomorrow.”
Summerhays wasn’t thinking about cutting into the lead when he started. He wasn’t thinking much about anything except the shot at hand, and he kept hitting good ones in the midst of Dufner’s streak of bogeys.
“A train wreck can happen at any moment,” Summerhays said. “And that’s why it’s such a great golf course because it does test everything. Legitimately from the first hole to the 18th hole, there’s a double bogey somewhere in there.”
Jordan Spieth knows the feeling. He was right in the mix until catching a downhill like in the bunker left of the par-3 eighth. He tried to play a perfect shot and barely got it out, then chipped down to 5 feet and missed the putt, making double bogey. Spieth started the back nine with two straight birdies only to follow with two straight bogeys. It added to a 71, and he was six shots behind.
ShopRite LPGA
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Ariya Jutanugarn took the No. 1 spot in the world ranking without hitting a shot, and Paula Creamer and In-Kyung Kim topped the ShopRite LPGA Classic leaderboard Saturday.
Taking the week off, Jutanugarn replaced Lydia Ko atop the ranking when So Yeon Ryu missed the cut. Ko, also skipping the event, was guaranteed to lose the top spot to Jutanugarn or Ryu, and Jutanugarn got the position when Ryu failed to finish solo third or better.
Creamer and Kim each shot a 4-under 67 in windy conditions to reach 9 under at Stockton Seaview, while two-time defending champion Anna Nordqvist followed her opening 64 with a 71 to drop two strokes behind along with Moriya Jutanugarn — Ariya’s older sister — and Jeong Eun Lee.
“Today was definitely different wind than yesterday,” Creamer said. “There were some good pins out there that we had to kind of think about a bit. I played solid. I hit some good putts that didn’t go in and made some good putts that went in.”
Ryu had her second-straight 74 to miss the cut by three strokes.
The 30-year-old Creamer won the last of her 10 LPGA Tour victories in 2014 in Singapore when she made a 75-foot eagle putt on the second hole of a playoff with Azahara Munoz.