Landry tops CareerBuilder leaderboard

Andrew Landry topped the crowded CareerBuilder Challenge leaderboard after another low-scoring day in California’s Coachella Valley, shooting a 7-under 65 Friday on PGA West’s Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course to reach 16-under. He opened with a 63 on Thursday at La Quinta Country Club.

“Wind was down again,” Landry said. “It's like a dome out here.”

Jon Rahm, the first-round leader after a 62 at La Quinta, was a stroke back. He had two early bogeys in a 67 on the Nicklaus layout.

“It's tough to come back because I feel like I expected myself to go to the range and keep just flushing everything like I did yesterday,” Rahm said. “Everything was just a little bit off.”

Jason Kokrak was 14-under after a 67 at Nicklaus. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was 13-under along with Michael Kim and Martin Piller. Johnson had a 64 at Nicklaus. Landry, Rahm, Kokrak and Johnson will finish the rotation today at PGA West’s Stadium Course, also the site of the final round.

“You need to hit it a lot more accurate off the tee because being in the fairway is a lot more important,” Rahm said about the Pete Dye-designed Stadium Course, a layout the former Arizona State player likened to the Dye-designed Karsten course on the school's campus. “With the small greens, you have water in play. You need to be more precise. Clearly the hardest golf course.”

Thomas Pieters holed a bunker shot for a closing birdie and shot a secondround 65 to take a onestroke lead at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on Friday as top-ranked Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy moved into contention. Johnson shook off the jet lag after his ragged openinground 72 to shoot a bogeyfree 8-under 64, tied for the low round of the tournament, and was four shots back. He won by eight shots two weeks ago at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Chapchai Nirat birdied his first four holes and then his last two in a 7-under 64 to grab the clubhouse lead in the second round of the weather-interrupted Singapore Open.