Dufner on track
AMERICAN Jason Dufner birdied four of his last five holes to go a stroke clear of a congested leaderboard in yesterday’s second round of the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas.
Three weeks after clinching his maiden PGA Tour victory at the New Orleans Classic, Dufner fired a four-under-par 66 in the toughest conditions of the day to post a seven-under total of 133.
The laid-back American with the distinctive preshot waggle birdied 14, 15, 16 and 18 to finish ahead of compatriots Matt Kuchar (68), Chad Campbell (66), Ryan Palmer (70), Pat Perez (67) and Dicky Pride (68), plus Australian Marc Leishman (69).
Defending champion Keegan Bradley (68), fellow American Charley Hoffman (69) and Japan’s Ryuji Imada (68) were a further stroke back at five under.
Dufner was delighted to take control of the tournament after playing in the afternoon when the gusting winds were at their strongest.
‘‘The wind picked up a good bit . . . so made it premium on putting the ball in the fairway so you could be more aggressive into the greens,’’ the 35-year-old told reporters after mixing seven birdies with three bogeys.
‘‘It was a nice way to finish, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’ve played pretty solid . . . not as clean as I would like today because of the conditions but I was able to grind it out and got fortunate there on the last couple of holes.’’
Dufner, who twice chipped in for birdie during the second round, plans to make the most of his triumphant experience in New Orleans as he bids for a second PGA Tour victory. ‘‘I feel good about my game,’’ he said. ‘‘Usually when you’re feeling good you’re going to go into the weekend leading or close to the lead, and I’ve been fortunate to be in that position’’
World number five Kuchar, who won his fourth PGA Tour title at the elite Players Championship on Sunday, was delighted to claw his way back into contention after dropping three shots in his first six holes.
New Zealand’s Danny Lee made the cut with two rounds of 71.