GOLF ROUNDUP Niemann, Lewis share Classic lead
Three players trail by one, eight more trail by two on event’s packed leaderboard
Joaquin Niemann and Tom Lewis topped the jam-packed leaderboard heading into the weekend in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Niemann and Lewis each shot 3under 69 on Friday to reach 10-under 134. Troy Merritt (68), Chris Kirk (68) and Max Homa (65) were a shot back.
First-round leader Davis Thompson was one of eight players two strokes back. The 22-year-old Thompson had a 1-over 73, a day after matching a Detroit Golf Club record with a 63.
The wind picked up considerably during the second round with gusts to 25 mph that knocked hats off heads and made the relatively short and easy course more challenging.
Defending champion Bryson Dechambeau, ranked sixth in the world, voiced his frustrations with the unpredictable wind and his shaky game throughout his round.
He missed the cut at 1-under 143, following an opening 72 with a 71.
Dechambeau, who has an endorsement deal with Rocket Mortgage, declined interview requests for the second straight day. His silence left lingering questions about why he parted ways with caddie Tim Tucker on the eve of the tournament.
The surprising split with Tucker also gave Brooks Koepka more fodder for jabs via social media, declaring Thursday as “caddie appreciation day,” on Twitter.
Nearly two weeks ago, the 2020 U.S. Open champion went from leading that same major with nine holes left to tying for 26th with a collapse. Despite being a part of lackluster fields, Dechambeau tied for 19th at the Travelers Championship last week and failed to make the cut in Detroit.
PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson shot a 72 after opening with a 69, making the cut at 3-under 141.
Patrick Reed, who was one of just two players in the field ranked in the top 10, also was on the cut line at 3 under after rounds of 69 and 72.
Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew Friday after testing positive for COVID -19. The PGA Tour does not test fully vaccinated players.
LPGA: Matilda Castren shot a 5-under 66 after a six-hour storm delay to take the lead in the suspended second round of the Volunteers of America Classic. With the start of play delayed by lightning and rain, the 26-year-old former Florida State star from Finland had five birdies in the bogey-free round to reach 10 under at Old American. Jeongeun Lee6, the South Korean player who won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open and lives in nearby Irving, was 8 under — following an opening 64 with a 70. Jin Young Ko, the first-round leader after a 63, also was 8 under with 14 holes left. Only half of the players were able to finish before dark.
Champions: Bernhard Langer had a borrowed putter and a backup caddie in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. The 63-year-old German star holed a 90-yard wedge shot for eagle on the par-5 eighth to get to 6 under, then had two birdies and three bogeys on the back nine for a 5-under 67, leaving him a stroke behind first-round leader Wes Short Jr. at En-joie Golf Club.
European PGA: Lucas Herbert will take a two-shot lead into the weekend at Mount Juliet Estate after a stunning run of scoring around the turn sent him back to the top of the leaderboard at the Irish Open. He picked up five shots in six holes from the eighth en route to a 67 that left him at 13 under. Scot Grant Forrest and England's Andy Sullivan were the nearest challengers, a shot clear of another Englishman in Dale Whitnell.
Note: Sungjae Im and Siwoo Kim have withdrawn from the British Open so they can focus on preparations for the Tokyo Olympics at the end of the month. Im and Kim are the male Olympic qualifiers for South Korea. Both are subject to mandatory military service at some point, which they can avoid only by winning an Olympic medal.