CANTLAY LEADS AS WIND BLOWS AT LA QUINTA
Patrick Cantlay fought through gusting wind on his back nine Friday to take a one-stroke lead into the weekend at The American Express in a bid to win for the third time in four starts.
Tied for the first-round lead with Lee Hodges after a 10-under 62 at La Quinta Country Club, Cantlay shot a 68 on PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course to reach 14-under 130.
“I actually putted really well today and made nothing,” Cantlay said. “The greens were a little beat up and it was hard to make putts. But I rolled it really well and I rolled it how I wanted to, I just didn’t get any to go in.”
Tom Hoge was second after a 66 on PGA West’s Stadium Course.
“I really felt fortunate that we got through 17 holes without the wind really coming up,” Hoge said. “Just our last hole there it got gusting.”
Joseph Bramlett, playing in the last group off the 10th tee at La Quinta, bogeyed the final two holes in strong wind for a 67 to drop into a five-man tie for third at 12 under.
“We guessed on the whole back nine and a couple of them I guessed right and a couple of them I guessed wrong,” Bramlett said. “That’s just kind of golf.”
Will Zalatoris birdied his last seven holes on the Nicklaus layout for a 61 to also join Cameron Young (68), Lanto Griffin (65) and Greyson Sigg (67) at 12 under.
Young played at Nicklaus, and Griffin and Sigg at the Stadium.
Last year in the desert, Cantlay closed with a Stadium-record 61 to finish a shot behind winner Si Woo Kim. Cantlay will play the Stadium the final two days, with more wind expected today.
McIlroy, Morikawa barely make cut
Rory McIlroy rolled in a 6-foot birdie putt at the last and was set to join Collin Morikawa in making the cut on the number in a brutal second round at the Abu Dhabi Championship that brought some of the world’s best golfers to their knees.
Gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) off the coastline of the Persian Gulf caused havoc at Yas Links, with just five of the 93 players who completed their second round shooting under par in conditions associated with the British Open.
Scott Jamieson ended the day where he started it — in the lead — despite a 2over 74 that was 11 shots worse than he hit on Thursday. Viktor Hovland remained in second place, still a stroke off the lead, after also shooting 74.
As for McIlroy and Morikawa, the two star names in the field, they were both 3 over for the tournament and just glad to be on course to make the weekend.
Whoa, Nelly: Korda leads again
Nelly Korda competed last month in the PNC Championship alongside her father, former Australian Open tennis champion Petr Korda, and said she did not have the offseason most players had.
It shows. The start of 2022 has been a continuation of the monster season she put together a year ago.
Korda, at 23 the No. 1 player in the women’s game, shot 6-under 66 at Lake Nona to take a one-shot lead over Gaby Lopez and Danielle Kang at the midway point of the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando, Fla.
Through two rounds, Korda is at 10under 134. Her older sister and the defending champion, 28-year-old Jessica Korda, is two shots back.
Elsewhere
Ernie Els was on his way to a big lead until a double bogey slowed his momentum. He wound up with a 4-under 68 and was part of a three-way tie for the lead in the PGA Tour Champions season opener at Ka’upulehu-Kona, Hawaii.
Vijay Singh had a late birdie on the par-3 17th for a 67, while Stephen Ames birdied the last hole to join Els at the top in the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai.
And it’s not just that trio, who were at 12-under 132. Eight players are separated by one shot going into the final round on the Big Island.