Koepka shares lead at the Northern Trust
PARAMUS, N.J. – Brooks Koepka showed some muscle and unleashed a monstrous finish Friday to share the lead in The Northern Trust.
Tiger Woods missed yet another putt and was relieved to still be playing.
Koepka spent most of the second round trading birdies and bogeys, going nowhere. One swing changed everything on the 631-yard 13th hole at Ridgewood Country Club. From just under 310 yards, he swung 3-wood as hard as he could and saw the tight draw that had been missing all day. It stopped 20 feet from the hole, Koepka made it for eagle and then closed with three straight birdies for a 6-under 65.
He tied Jamie Lovemark, who shot a 66.
“I wasn’t happy the first 11 holes the way I hit it,” Koepka said. “When I hit that 3-wood, it all clicked. I felt like I was finally able to release the golf club. Just tried to hit as hard as I could, big draw. Aimed at the tree on the right and tried to draw it back to the flag. When I did that, everything started to click.”
The U.S. Open and PGA champion took it from there.
Lovemark, winless in 135 starts as a pro, made five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn and was the first to reach 10-under 132.
Before long, a list of contenders lined up behind them in an entertaining start to the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Adam Scott, building on his confidence from playing in the final group at the PGA Championship, had a 64 for the low round of the tournament and was one shot behind. Another shot back was Dustin Johnson, the world No. 1, who had another 67 that for the second straight day featured a triple bogey on his card. At least he got this one out of the way early, taking five shots from a mangled lie in deep rough behind the first green.
“That was not a fun start,” Johnson said. “There was nothing to do but laugh at that point.”
Bryson DeChambeau had a 66 and joined Johnson at 134. The group at 7under 135 included Sean O’Hair, who is No. 112 in the FedEx Cup and needs to get to No. 70 by the third playoff event at the BMW Championship being played this year at Aronimink, his home club outside Philadelphia. He already is planning to play the member-guest a few weeks later, but O’Hair would love to play Aronimink for a $9 million purse.
Woods was not part of the action, even though he hit the ball beautifully. Woods had a birdie putt on every hole until the par-3 15th, when his tee shot rolled just off the green against the collar. All he had to show for it was two birdies, giving him four birdies in 36 holes.
He finished with a three-putt bogey from just inside 30 feet, giving him another 71. He made the cut on the number, leaving him 10 shots behind.
“The name of the game is you’ve got to make putts, and you’ve got to roll it,” Woods said. “No matter how good your drive, you’ve still got to roll them and still got to make putts, and I didn’t putt very well today. I had a hard time seeing my lines, and consequently didn’t make anything.”
LPGA Tour
REGINA, Saskatchewan – Sung Hyun Park emerged from the scorer’s tent to a swarm of fans after shooting an 8under 64 on Friday in the second round of the CP Women’s Open.
Few seemed to notice the defending champion and world’s top-ranked female player as she strolled undisturbed down a path at Wascana Country Club.
These fans had only one person on their minds.
Brooke Henderson is the star of this show, especially after a second straight 66 left her a stroke behind leader Amy Yang.
“Brooke is almost like Canada’s Tiger Woods,” Park said after her second straight round with Henderson and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist. “I was really surprised at how many fans came out to support Brooke today. To witness that was pretty awesome.”
Dozens of fans – many clad in red and white and waving small Canadian flags – let out a roar when Henderson chipped in on her opening hole and they were just as vocal when the 20-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ontario, capped her round with another birdie. She took advantage of her length Thursday and short game Friday when the wind picked up Friday.
“I hit the ball in good spots and made birdie putts when I had them,” Henderson said. “I feel like I made the most of today’s round, which is always a great feeling. To be close to the top of the leaderboard heading into the weekend is awesome, especially when you’re here in Canada.”
Jocelyne Bourassa is the only Canadian to win the national championship, accomplishing the feat in the inaugural 1973 La Canadienne at Montreal Municipal. Henderson won the LOTTE Championship in April in Hawaii for her sixth tour title.
Yang followed her opening 66 with a 65 to reach 13 under. The three-time LPGA Tour winner from South Korea birdied four of the first five holes and finished with nine birdies and two bogeys.
“I was hitting it pretty solid out there,” Yang said. “But I gave myself a lot of good chances and I think I made most of them out there.”
Long-hitting Angel Yin shot a 67 to match Henderson at 12 under. Yin eagled the par-5 12th and closed with three straight birdies on Nos. 7-9.
Park’s 64 left her tied for fourth at 10 under. The South Korean star won last week in Indianapolis to match U.S. Women’s Open champion Ariya Jutanugarn for the tour victory lead with three. She eagled the par-5 14th, playing her opening nine in 6-under 31.
Jutanugarn, tied for the first-round lead with Nasa Hataoka and Mariajo Uribe after a 64, had a 70 in windy afternoon conditions to join Park, Hataoka (70) and Maria Torres (66) at 10 under. Jutanugarn won the event two years ago in Calgary.
“It’s really windy, like so tough today,” Jutanugarn said. “I feel like a lot of great shots that I still make bogey. It was really tough.”
Hall was 6 under after a 70.
PGA Tour Champions
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – Kent Jones, Scott Parel and Tom Pernice Jr. shot 7under 65 to share the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ Boeing Classic.
The 51-year-old Jones birdied four of his last five holes, playing in the last group of the day off the first tee. He’s winless on the senior tour.
The 53-year-old Parel closed with a bogey on the par-5 18th after birdieing the previous four holes. He’s also winless as a senior tour.
Pernice, 58, finished on the front nine, making birdies on Nos. 7 and 8. He has five Champions victories after winning twice on the PGA Tour.