Cauley's 65 gives him 1-shot lead in Cognizant
Bud Cauley is leading on the PGA Tour. That might not have seemed likely a few years ago.
Cauley — who was seriously injured in a 2018 car crash and is playing a tour event for only the third time in nearly 4 1/2 years — shot a 6-under 65 on Friday at PGA National to take a one-shot lead after 36 holes of the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Cauley has 11 birdies and no bogeys over his last 27 holes. He made a 12-footer for birdie at the par-5 18th on Friday as darkness began settling in, posting 11-under 131 and giving him his first 36-hole lead on tour since the Valero Texas Open in 2017.
“My expectation was to come out and compete, and I felt like my game was in a good spot,” Cauley said. “Saying it is one thing, doing it is another. I'm really happy with how I've played. I feel like my game has been trending in the right way. I've been hitting the ball well and just needed some scoring things to start.”
Austin Eckroat (67) and Garrick Higgo (65) were a shot back. Kevin Yu (67) and Victor Perez (66) were tied for fourth at 9 under, while Shane
Lowry and world No. 2 Rory McIlroy (both 67 for a second consecutive day) were part of a group three shots off the pace.
LPGA
Six-time LPGA Tour winner Celine Boutier had a bogey-free round of 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore.
The 30-year-old French player had a 36-hole total of 7-under 137 on the Sentosa Golf Club course, a layout a short drive south of the Singapore city center.
Ayaka Furue of Japan was in second after a 67. Madelene Sagstrom was in third after a 67, two strokes behind Boutier.
“I don't know that I feel really comfortable or at ease. I think with this field and with so many great players, you're never really too far ahead,” Boutier said.
Furue made two bogeys on the par-4 third and the par-3 fourth but followed that up with a birdie on the first par 5, and later picked up backto-back birdies on holes 8 and 9 to make the turn with a 35.
LIV Golf
Anthony Kim hit his first competitive shot in 4,320 days and then hit more shots than he wanted at LIV Golf Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. He opened with a 6-over 76 and was in last place, trailing Masters champion Jon Rahm and Adrian Meronk by 14 shots.
Kim walked away from the PGA Tour after the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship on May 3, 2012, beset by injuries and a lost game. He signed on this week to be a wild card for the remainder of the LIV season, meaning he doesn't belong to any team.
“I would be lying to say that I didn't have certain expectations. Even if I played bad, I thought I would shoot around par,” Kim said. “It was unfortunate that I made so many unforced errors from the middle of the fairway. That's generally my strength, is my iron game. To make so many unforced errors is really disappointing.”
Rahm, also a new addition to the Saudi-funded league this year, birdied his last three holes at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club. That gave him a 62 and a share of the first-round lead with another LIV newcomer, Meronk.