Fisher takes lead in Scotland
Englishman fires 68 at St. Andrews to build 1-shot edge.
Ross Fisher carded a second round of 4-under 68 to claim a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Friday. Fisher carded s e ve n b i rd i e s a n d t h r e e bogeys on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, one of the three venues used for the pro-am event.
A t 1 1 - u n d e r p a r, t h e Englishman enjoyed a oneshot l e ad over Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren, whose 68 came at Kingsbarns, where first-round leader Alex Noren shot a 71 to finish 9 under.
Thomas Pieters was five shots off the pace after a 68 at Kingsbarns, but was left to regret a double bogey on the 17th after six birdies in the previous 16 holes.
Fellow Ryder Cup player Martin Kaymer was a shot behind Pieters after his own 68 at Kingsbarns, but Lee Westwood was propping up the leaderboard on 13 over par after slumping to an 82 at the same venue.
Masters champion Danny Willett and English compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick face a battle to make the 54-hole cut after rounds of 73 left them 2 and 6 over, respectively.
Champions: John Daly birdied the final five holes in the Toshiba Classic, leaving him three strokes behind fellow senior tour newcomer Billy Mayfair and 62-year-old Jay Haas.
Making his 14th PGA Tour Champions start since turning 50 in April, Daly finished with a 4-under 67 at Newport Beach (Calif.) Country Club after playing the front nine in even par and dropping a stroke on 13.
The two-time major champion has three top-20 finishes on the senior tour, the best a tie for 11th.
Haas, the 2007 winner, bi rd i e d t he f i nal hol e t o match Mayfair at 64. Larry Mi z e , P a u l G o y d o s a n d Michael Allen shot 65.
LPGA Tour: Hee Young Park and Ha Na Jang fought through gusty wind and early rain to share the secondround lead in the LPGA Taiwan Championship in Taipei. The South Koreans each shot their second straight 3-under 69 at Miramar.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson (71) was a stroke back along with China’s Shanshan Feng (69), South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu (68) and South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace (70).
D e f e n d i n g c h a mpi o n Lydia Ko was tied for 18th at 1 under after a 73. The top-ranked New Zealander won by nine strokes last year, and has four LPGA Tour victories this year.
Fiji International: Brandt Snedeker eagled the par-5 sixth hole and shot a 7-under 65 at the windy Fiji International to climb the Australian-dominated leaderboard.
Coming off the United States’ Ryder Cup victory Sunday in Minnesota, Snedeker was a stroke behind leader Matthew Giles after two rounds at Vijay Singh-designed Natadola Bay.
“It’s going to be two more tough days,” Snedeker said. “There’s a lot of wind we’re meant to be having this weekend and this golf course can jump up and bite you really quick, so hopefully I c an steer away from big numbers.”
Giles had a 66 to reach 11 under in the event sanctioned by European, Australasian and Asian tours.
Day resting back: Topranked Jason Day is skipping the Australian Open and World Cup of Golf in his home country because of the back injury that forced him to withdraw from the season’s final two PGA Tour events. Day said that he has been advised to rest his back after tearing a ligament.