Day soars into the lead at Travelers tournament after shooting 8-under
Watson and Hickok one stroke behind; pair of Canadians barely make the cut
Jason Day of Australia posted the low round of the day, an 8-under 62, to grab the 36-hole lead Friday at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.
Day, the former world No. 1 who has slipped to 71st in the Official World Golf Rankings, sank eight birdies without a bogey in his second round to reach 9-under for the event. Bubba Watson (66 Friday) and first-round co-leader Kramer Hickok (69) are one behind.
The highlight of Day's round was a 36-foot, five-inch birdie putt on the par-3 fifth hole at TPC River Highlands. It broke left to right and found the side of the cup, marking his seventh of eight birdies after he began on the back nine.
Day credited a recent switch back to a Spider putter.
“It's nice to be able to visualize a ball going in the hole again instead of thinking, Am I going to hole this putt?” Day said. “So nice to be able to do that.”
Day is searching for his first PGA Tour win since the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship.
Watson, the two-time Masters champion, shot 4-under 66 for the second straight day to pull into contention, aided by three consecutive birdies from holes No. 5-7. He won the Travelers in 2010, 2015 and 2018.
“Obviously, with the new design there (are a) couple bunkers that are tricky,” Watson said of TPC River Highlands.
“As long as you stay out of the bunkers you can still move the ball forward and you feel like you have a chance to hit the green. That's really what I've felt over the years, is that I can play no matter where the ball ends up.”
Like Day, Watson hasn't won on tour since 2018, when he captured his third Travelers title.
Mackenzie Hughes (71) of Hamilton and David Hearn (68) of Brantford, Ont., were the only Canadians to make the cut, doing it right on the number at 2-under.
Nelly Korda, fresh off an LPGA win last week, is in position for another.
The 22-year-old Floridian birdied her final six holes Friday, and she holds a one-shot lead at the midpoint of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship in Johns Creek, Ga.
Korda fired a 9-under-par 63 at Atlanta Athletic Club in the second round, leaving her at 11-under 133. First-round leader Lizette Salas was 5 under on Friday, and she holds second place at 10 under.
Cydney Clanton (67), France's Celine Boutier (64) and Canada's Alena Sharp (68) share third place at 7-under 137.
Sweden's Madelene Sagstrom (68) is in sixth place at 6-under. Tied for seventh place at 5-under are South Korea's Inbee Park (68), Germany's Esther Henseleit (68) and England's Charley Hull (71).
Nine players are tied for 10th at 4-under. Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., carded a 70 on Friday and is at even par through 36 holes.
Korda, starting the day on the back nine, bogeyed her opening hole, but rebounded with four birdies and seven pars over her next 11 holes. She then reeled off six consecutive birdies to conclude a 7-under 29 on the front nine.
Michelle Wie West, a former U.S. Women's Open champion, shot a 3-under 69 on Friday and made the cut at 2-over 146. She reached the weekend in a major event for the first time since the 2018 Women's PGA Championship.