List, English in top 10 at Farmers Insurance
SAN DIEGO — Ryan Palmer is the 36-hole leader in the Farmers Insurance Open. Jon Rahm is right behind, poised to reach No. 1 in the world. And for the first time in 29 months, a PGA Tour event will feature Tiger Woods playing on the weekend.
Palmer finished eagle-birdie on the North Course at Torrey Pines for a 5-under-par 67 in Friday’s second round. That put him at 11-under 133 and gave him a one-shot lead over Rahm, who birdied two of his last three holes for a 66 as he tries to repeat as the tournament’s champion.
Baylor School graduate Luke List was tied with first-round leader Tony Finau for third at 9 under — List after a 66 on the South Course that was highlighted by eight birdies to offset a pair of bogeys, Finau after a 70 on the same layout. List will play in the final group today with Palmer and Rahm.
Two other former Red Raiders were also in the top 25. Harris English (68 North) was one of five golfers in ninth at 6 under, and Keith Mitchell (69 South) was part of a five-way tie for 23rd at 4 under.
The biggest buzz, as usual, was for Woods. He kept his fairway-lined following in suspense over his closing stretch on the front nine simply by trying to make the cut, and it came down to the very last hole.
A wild drive was saved by a perfect flop shot to escape with par on No. 6. Another superb chip on the reachable par-4 seventh set up a birdie, the first time all week he was under par. A chip that bounced hard and rolled off the back of the green led to bogey and left him one shot outside the cut line. From gnarly rough right of the fairway on the par-5 ninth, he hammered a 6-iron to the wrong side of the green, leaving him two putts from 75 feet to make birdie and get to the weekend.
A beautiful lag for a tap-in birdie gave him a 71 that had him tied for 65th at 1 under.
“It was a grind. I fought hard,” Woods said. “Typical. Just me going out there and fighting for whatever I can get. It’s all good.”
There’s a reason Woods has gone so long — August 2015 at the Wyndham Championship — without making a cut. This is only his second PGA Tour event since then, the greatest reminder of back surgeries that effectively cost him two full years of golf.
Rahm, a 23-year-old Spaniard, won in a playoff last week at the CareerBuilder Challenge, moving him to No. 2 in the world. If he wins this weekend, he will go to No. 1.
Chattanooga’s Stephan Jaeger (73 North), who played for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga after starring at Baylor, was at par and missed the cut by a stroke.
Fog delays Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Jamie Donaldson followed his opening 62 with a 3-under 69 to retain the lead in the weather-interrupted second round of the Dubai Desert Classic.
Tee times were delayed for nearly three hours in the European Tour event because of thick fog. That led to none of the afternoon groups being able to finish their second round when darkness suspended play.
Li Haotong was a shot behind Donaldson after consecutive 66s, while Branden Grace (65) was 11 under and third. Thomas Aiken (67), Alexander Bjork, 54-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Rory McIlroy were fourth at 10 under — Bjork after 12 holes and McIlroy with seven to play
Golfers will start early today to complete the second round, and the third round will be played under a three-ball format.
Wind halts LPGA
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Brooke Henderson bogeyed the first hole to drop into a tie for the lead before the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic was suspended for the day because of high wind.
Sustained winds of 30 to 35 mph — with gusts in the low 40s — hit the Ocean Club Golf Course early and were forecast to continue through the afternoon, forcing officials to stop second-round play at 8:39 a.m. Sue Witters, vice president of LPGA Tour rules and competition, said conditions “got to the point on 13 where we could not get a ball to stay at rest on the green.”
Henderson shot a bogey-free 5-under 68 in high wind Thursday, but the bogey on the par-4 first Friday dropped her into a tie with Luna Sobron Galmes and Sarah Jane Smith.
Officials have shortened the season-opening event to 54 holes in an attempt to complete play Sunday, and they didn’t rule out a Monday finish.