Quick start puts Thomas in front by 1
Justin Thomas went from a fast finish one day to a fast start the next, and it carried him to a 7- under 65 Friday and a oneshot lead in the Zozo Championship at Sherwood in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Thomas wasn’t particularly thrilled, except for his position, mainly because the final stretch of holes was still fresh on his mind. He closed with six consecutive pars on a day when the field made birdie or better just over 33% of the time.
Richy Werenski led the way with 12 birdies for a 61, the lowest score in a toursanctioned competition at Sherwood. The average score was 67.87.
Tiger Woods managed to beat that, making eight birdies in his round of 66, and he still didn’t pick up any shots against the lead. The defending champion at the Zozo Championship — he won last year in Japan — was still 12 shots behind.
Thomas was at 14- under 130, one stroke clear of Lanto Griffin and Dylan Frittelli, who each had a 65 and each made bogey on the final hole.
Birdie binge lifts leader
Ally McDonald shot a 4- under 68 to take a one- stroke lead into the weekend in the LPGA Drive On Championship- Lake Reynolds Oconee in Greensboro, Ga.
The 27- year- old from Mississippi made five consecutive birdies in the middle of the round, then gave back two strokes with bogeys on the par- 4 fifth and par- 5 sixth. She had a 10- under 134 total in the first- year event on the Great Waters Course.
Danielle Kang was tied for second with Bianca Pagdanganan of the Philippines in the event added to the schedule because of the COVID- 19 pandemic that shut down women’s golf for five months. Kang, tied for the first- round lead, birdied the par- 5 18th for a 70. Pagdanganan shot a 67 — also closing with a birdie on 18.
Canter stays hot
Laurie Canter is eyeing a maiden European Tour title after adding a secondround 68 to his spectacular opening 12- under 60 to keep the lead at the Italian Open in Brescia, Italy. At 16 under, the Englishman leads by two from compatriot Ross McGowan, with South Africa’s Dean Burmester two shots further back in third.