TOMMY ROCKS
Fleetwood’s superb 63 takes him top of the pile with Poulter
Add fabled Firestone to Tommy Fleetwood’s evergrowing collection of low scores achieved on some of the world’s great golf courses.
As if 63s mustered at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Shinnecock Hills were not enough to be going on with, the prodigiously gifted 27-year-old shot another such score here to move firmly into contention at halfway in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
With Ian Poulter following up his brilliant first-round 62 — his lowest in 781 rounds on the PGA Tour — with a fine 67, the top of the leaderboard had a distinctly English feel with this pair tied at the top on 11 under par alongside American Justin Thomas.
Poulter’s best golf is invariably fuelled by a burning sense of pride. We have seen it at the Ryder Cup, but it has been on show over the first 36 holes here as he trains his sights on a couple of personal milestones.
One is making Europe’s Ryder Cup team for the match-up in Paris next month through the automatic placings rather than relying on the wildcard that would surely come his way if necessary.
The other is improving on a decidedly modest record in this event that left him with a feeling of disgust when he realised he had never so much as mustered a top-ten place in 13 attempts.
He can take care of both goals and then some if he were to add a third WGC title to the Match Play he won in 2010 and the HSBC Champions in China two years later.
It is never easy going out the next day following a great round and the 42-year-old will definitely feel he let a couple of shots slip away, as he ran up his first two bogeys of the event.
But this was another impressive round for the most part that must fill him with optimism for the weekend.
The man Poulter is hoping to catch on the Ryder Cup list is Paul Casey. With just a few world-ranking points separating them, Poulter is now well placed to make a decisive move.
The next step in Fleetwood’s progression would be to win one of these WGC events that sit a rung below the majors. Here, he brought all his superb shot-making to bear alongside a potent putter, as he claimed seven birdies.
A fabulous weekend is in prospect with world No3 Thomas also profiting from another day of perfect scoring conditions with a 64, while Tyrrell Hatton shot a 67 to move to five under alongside fellow Englishman Ross Fisher, who shot a 68.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were among the later starters.