Hur leads the Ladies Scottish Open Tiger Woods withdraws from the Northern Trust
North Berwick, Scotland — Mi Jung Hur surged into a two-shot lead Friday in the rain-delayed second round of the Ladies Scottish Open, getting the best of the draw and finishing in the early evening with a 9-under 62.
Players with morning tee times dealt with heavy wind and rain at The Renaissance Club, and play was suspended in the early afternoon, delaying the start times for half of the field and giving them a huge advantage as the sun came out and the wind died. The second round could not be completed Friday because of darkness.
Hur, who started on No. 10, made only one par over her first 12 holes. The South Korean began with two birdies and then holed a 25-yard pitch-and-run from the rough for eagle on the par-5 12th. She made six more birdies, along with two bogeys, over her next nine, and added one more birdie to post a two-day total of 14-under 128.
"I got a really lucky draw for this week. I had the morning yesterday and afternoon today," Hur said. "I know it was really tough this morning, but sometimes I need luck for those things."
None of the players who started in the morning was inside the top 20.
Moriya Jutanugarn was 12 under after a 66. Sharing third at 10 under were U.S. Women's Open champion Jeongeun Lee6 (65) and Anne van Dam, who followed her opening-round 63 with a 69.
"I think if we get decent weather, low scores are out there," van Dam said. "If it will get rainy and more windy, maybe two rounds around par will be fine. So I have no clue."
Muni He was 9 under with three holes to play, the best score among those who did not finish.
Former U.S. Women's Open champion Na Yeon Choi, who has struggled with back injuries for the past four years, was 6 under after a 64. She tied for third in her previous tournament, the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, her best finish since 2016.
Laura Davies matched the best round of the morning wave with a 68. The 55-year-old Hall of Famer aced the 152-yard fifth hole, her 12th career hole-in-one.
"Lovely wedge, never left the pin," Davies said. "It seemed to roll for ages and just dropped in."
Only two of the 78 players with morning tee times broke 70.
"It's probably the second-best round I've probably ever shot because obviously needed to have a good round to make the cut," said Davies, who opened with a 72 and was 2 under.
"I had a 6-under 66 in Canada years ago in similar conditions, but that's as close as I can get to it. It was horrific out there . ... I hit two 1-irons into the fourth, 1-iron off the tee and 1-iron into the green. I've never done that before."
It was Davies' first made cut in 11 LPGA Tour starts this year. She has been working part-time as a TV commentator and joined the Sky Sports broadcast booth after her round on Friday.
"People say, 'Oh, should you give up and commentate, you're a rubbish golfer now,' but I still know I can hit shots and play like that," Davies said. "I've just got to do it and prove it, and that's the only thing. But you can only prove to yourself if you hit the good shots."
Jersey City, N.J. — Masters champion Tiger Woods withdrew Friday from the opening FedEx Cup playoffs event with what he described as a mild oblique strain.
It was the first time Woods has pulled out in the middle of a tournament since the Dubai Desert Classic in February 2017, two months before he had a fourth surgery on his back to fuse his lower spine.
"Due to a mild oblique strain that led to pain and stiffness, I have to withdraw from The Northern Trust," Woods said in a statement released by the PGA Tour. "I went for treatment early Friday morning, but unfortunately I'm still unable to compete."
Woods, playing in only his second tournament since the U.S. Open in June, opened with a 4-over 75 on a Liberty National course so soft that only one other player had a higher score. It was his second-worst score in 89 rounds in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
He has said all year that there are days when his back doesn't feel as limber. In March, he decided not to play the Arnold Palmer Invitational on the road to the Masters because of lingering soreness in his neck. At the PGA Championship, he played only nine holes of practice in cold weather at Bethpage Black, where he missed the cut.
Woods stopped hitting full shots on the back nine of his pro-am Wednesday at Liberty National. After his opening round, he said his back was "a little stiff, but that's just the way it's going to be."
He said he is hopeful to play next week in the BMW Championship at Medinah, where he won two of his PGA Championship titles.
If he plays, Woods likely would need to move back into the top 30 in the FedEx Cup to advance to the Tour Championship, where he is the defending champion. It was last year at East Lake that he capped off his comeback from four back surgeries with his first victory in five years.
That comeback included a busy schedule to get back among the elite in the game.
Woods had played only 17 official tournaments after his first back surgery in April 2014, and the fusion surgery was as much about quality of life as golf. His tie for sixth in the British Open last year got him back into the top 50 in the world and made him eligible for a World Golf Championship. His runner-up finish in the PGA Championship assured he could play all four FedEx Cup playoff events.
And with the Ryder Cup, he wound up playing eight times in 11 weeks, including five of the last six. Woods has said all year he would not play nearly as much. If he doesn't make it to the Chicago area next week for the BMW Championship, he will have played just 11 times this season — five times since winning the Masters.