Smith stretches lead, moves 3 ahead of Rahm
>>KAPALUA: Cameron Smith shook off two early bogeys to card a nine-under par 64 on Friday and push his lead at the US PGA Tour Tournament of Champions to three strokes over top-ranked Jon Rahm and Daniel Berger.
Smith’s 17-under par total of 129 on the par-73 Plantation Course at Kapalua, Hawaii, matched the tournament’s 36-hole record set by Ernie Els in 2003.
Spain’s Rahm carded a second straight bogey-free 66 for 132 and shared second on 14 under with Berger, who also posted a bogey-free 66.
Smith, a three-time winner on the US tour, started the day with a oneshot lead, but was in trouble early with bogeys at the first and second.
He rolled in a long eagle putt from off the green at the par-five fifth to kick his round into high gear. He added nine birdies, pulling away for good with birdies at the final four holes.
“I just hit a few poor shots in a row — a silly three-putt on the second,” he said of his slow start.
“Kind of had to hit the reset button and start over.”
Smith had a one-shot lead when he arrived 16, where he hit a “dodgy drive” into the left rough.
His second shot caught the left slope of the green and rolled to within seven feet and he made that for birdie.
At the par-five 18th his second shot found the front of the green but left him 57 feet and he two-putted, capping his day with a three-footer for birdie.
After back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15, Rahm left a birdie putt short at 16. At 18 he gave it a good run on the green, his 59-foot eagle putt going slightly wide to leave him a tap-in birdie.