Thomas fires 63 for CJ Cup lead
JEJU ISLAND, South Korea — Justin Thomas shot a 9-underpar 63 to take a two-stroke lead at the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, putting himself in position for his second PGA Tour victory in South Korea in three years.
Thomas, who won the inaugural edition of this event in 2017, was at 13-under 131 after 36 holes at The Club at Nine Bridges. He birdied his first four holes Friday and was 6 under after 10.
Danny Lee (66) was tied for second with first-round leader Byeong Hun An (69). Lee is a citizen of New Zealand but was born in South Korea, which is also An’s home country. The United States’ Jordan Spieth (65) and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (66) were tied for fourth at 9 under.
Brooks Koepka, who is No. 1 in the World Golf Ranking and won last year’s CJ Cup, had four bogeys in his first nine holes of the second round on the way to a 75 that left him 13 strokes behind. He later withdrew with a knee injury, the PGA Tour said.
Koepka, who had stem cell treatment on his left knee on Aug. 25, missed the cut in his 2019-20 season debut two weeks ago in Las Vegas.
Luke List shot a 75 and was 1 over, a stroke ahead of fellow former Baylor School standout Keith Mitchell (72) in the no-cut event with a limited 78-player field.
Every suspended
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Matt Every has been suspended for 12 weeks for what the PGA Tour said was a violation of its conduct policy on drugs of abuse. Every said he has a legal prescription for cannabis to treat mental health.
“To be clear, I tested positive for cannabis, a drug I do not abuse and a drug that I have a legal prescription for in the state of Florida,” Every said in a released statement Friday.
Every, a two-time winner on tour who turns 36 in December, will be eligible to return Jan. 7 and will miss only three tournaments for which he would have been eligible.
Every said he knew cannabis was on the tour’s list of banned substances and accepts the penalties, but he offered no apologies for the violation. He did not disclose the nature of his mental health condition but said cannabis, which is legal in Florida only for medicinal purposes, was prescribed by a doctor who has managed his health for 30 years.
He said it was determined he is not an acceptable candidate to use prescription “Z” class drugs or benzodiazepines, substances he said could be highly addictive and harmful to his body and mind.
The PGA Tour does not comment beyond standard reporting of violations detected through its anti-doping policy, which began in 2008.
Tolles to the top
RICHMOND, Va. — Tommy Tolles closed with a birdie for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, the first of three tournaments in the PGA Tour Champions’ Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.
The 52-year-old Tolles totaled seven birdies in the bogey-free round in cool, breezy conditions on The Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. He is winless in three seasons on the 50-and-older tour and entered the week 59th in the money standings, with the top 54 advancing to the next playoff event, the Invesco QQQ Championship on Nov. 1-3 in Thousand Oaks, California.
Colin Montgomerie and Scott Parel were tied for second on the leaderboard, with Retief Goosen, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Rocco Mediate tied for fourth at 67. Charles Schwab Cup leader Scott McCarron had a share of seventh at 68 with John Daly, Marco Dawson and Carlos Franco.
Ooltewah’s Gibby Gilbert III had three birdies but as many bogeys for a 72 and was tied for 29th.
Instead of the season points being reset during the playoffs, they will be continued through the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, with points counting double in that tournament Nov. 7-10 at Phoenix Country Club.
Ace and a record
SHANGHAI — Brooke Henderson made a hole-in-one and shot a tournament-record 8-under 64 to take the second-round lead in the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
The 22-year-old Canadian, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour this season, used an 8-iron for her ace on the 144-yard second hole at Qizhong Garden Golf Club. She followed that with a bogey, then birdied the next two holes. She had four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn and added another on the par-5 17th.
Henderson was at 11-under 133 overall, two strokes ahead of Jessica Korda in second place and three ahead of Danielle Kang in third. Both of the Americans shot a 67 on Friday, with Kang pitching in from 30 yards for an eagle on the par-5 ninth.
New co-leader
PARIS — South Africa’s George Coetzee shared the lead for a second straight day halfway through the French Open, this time with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, who shot a 5-under 66 to join him at 11-under 133.
Coetzee shot a second-round 68 on the Albatross Course at Le Golf National, using seven birdies to limit the damage done by a pair of bogeys and a double bogey. Colsaerts matched Coetzee in birdies and bogeys but made par otherwise.
American golfer Kurt Kitayama (68) was a stroke behind the leaders, with Scotland’s Richie Ramsay (69) alone in fourth and a shot ahead of Denmark’s Joachim B. Hansen (68).
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, the first-round co-leader, was tied for 13th after stumbling with a 74 that was nine strokes worse than his opening score.