Stenson, Rahm tied for lead
Woods shoots 69, eight back after double bogey on final hole
Jon Rahm hardly missed a shot and found golf easy Friday on his way to a 9-under 63, giving him a share of the lead with Henrik Stenson going into the weekend at the Hero World Challenge.
Only the end went wrong for tournament host Tiger Woods, and it could have been worse.
Woods was 5 under for his round and trying to stay in the thick of his holiday event when he drove into a palm bush on the 18th hole. He dropped to one knee to pop the ball back to the grass, came up just short of the green, chipped weakly and made double bogey for a 69.
But questions arose about this shot out of the bush.
After extensive video review, it was determined he hit the ball more than once. However, because of an 18-monthold rules decision that limits the use of video evidence, Woods was spared the additional penalty because he didn’t think he made contact twice and it couldn’t be determined by the naked eye, only the use of high resolution TV played in super slow motion.
Stenson ran off three straight birdies late in his round for a 66 and a tie with Rahm at 10-under 134. Australian: Defending champion Cameron Smith held a one-stroke lead over Marc Leishman and fellow Australian Jake Mcleod after the second round of the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines. Smith shot a 7-under 65 for a tworound total of 9-under 135. Leishman, Smith’s teammate last week at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, had his second consecutive 68 while Mcleod, a co-leader after the first round, shot 70. American Harold Varner III shot his second straight 69 and was three strokes behind. European PGA: Kurt Kitayama opened a two-shot lead halfway through the Mauritius Open with a second successive 65. Kitayama moved to 14-under-par overall and ahead of co-overnight leader Chikkarangappa S (68), who was second. Victor Perez (69), who shared the lead with Chikkarangappa after the first round, was tied for third, with fellow Frenchman Matthieu Pavon (66) a shot further back at 11-under.