Two share lead at Rocket Mortgage
Joaquin Niemann and Tom Lewis topped the jampacked leader board heading into the weekend in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
Niemann and Lewis each shot 3-under 69 Friday to reach 10-under 134. Troy Merritt (68), Chris Kirk (68) and Max Homa (65) were a shot back.
First-round leader Davis Thompson was one of eight players two strokes back. The 22-year-old Thompson had a 1-over 73, a day after matching a Detroit Golf Club record with a 63.
The wind picked up considerably during the second round with gusts to 25 mph that knocked hats off heads and made the relatively short and easy course more challenging.
Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau, ranked sixth in the world, voiced his frustrations with the unpredictable wind and his shaky game throughout his round.
He missed the cut at 1-under 143, following an opening 72 with a 71.
DeChambeau, who has an endorsement deal with Rocket Mortgage, declined interview requests for the second day in a row. His silence left lingering questions about why he parted ways with caddie Tim Tucker on the eve of the tournament.
The surprising split with Tucker also gave Brooks Koepka more fodder for jabs via social media, declaring Thursday as “caddie appreciation day,” on Twitter.
Matsuyama out
Reignig Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the Rocket Mortgage Classic after testing positive for COVID-19.
The PGA Tour made the announcement Friday just before Matsuyama was scheduled to start his second round. Tour officials were unable to say whether Matsuyama has been vaccinated. The PGA Tour, though, does not test fully vaccinated players.
Langer goes low
Bernhard Langer had a borrowed putter and a backup caddie in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. The 63-year-old German star also had such a good start he thought about shooting his age.
“It was a strange day,” Langer said. “I had to borrow a putter from Scott McCarron because mine broke yesterday and I was very fortunate to even find one that I could putt with.”
Langer holed a 90-yard wedge shot for eagle on the par-5 eighth to get to 6 under, then had two birdies and three bogeys on the back nine for a 5-under 67, leaving him a stroke behind first -round leader Wes Short Jr. at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y.
Koreans skipping British
Sungjae Im and Siwoo Kim have withdrawn from the British Open so they can focus on preparations for the Tokyo Olympics at the end of the month.
Im and Kim are the male Olympic qualifiers for South Korea. Both are subject to mandatory military service at some point, which they can avoid only by winning an Olympic medal.
The first practice round at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan is eight days after the British Open ends.
Im was a runner-up to Dustin Johnson in the Masters in November 2020 and is No. 26 in the world. Kim won The Players Championship in 2017 at age 21, making him the youngest winner. He is No. 50 in the world.