Harman takes 1-shot lead in Travelers
Brian Harman shot a 4-under 66 on Friday to move to 10-under par and watched that hold up for the second-round lead in the Travelers Championship, thanks in part to a 10-second rule.
Harman finished a stroke ahead of Matt Jones and first round co-leader Zach Johnson, who lost a stroke during his round of 68 when his birdie putt hung on the lip of the cup at the third hole for longer than the maximum allowed 10 seconds before falling in, giving him a par.
“After 10 seconds, the ball was moving and at that point even if the ball is moving, It’s deemed to be at rest, because it’s on the lip,” Johnson said. “Don’t ask me why, but that’s just the way it is.”
Harman had his short game working for the second consecutive day, taking 26 putts after needing only 23 during the first round.
“The putter has been really good so far, but I’ve been in position a lot,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of good looks at it. I’m just able to put a little pressure on the course right now, which is nice.”
Jones hit 16 of 18 greens for the second consecutive day, following up his first round 65 with a 66.
Bryson DeChambeau (66), Paul Casey (67) and Russell Henley (65) were two strokes back going into the weekend.
Lanto Griffin and two-time Travelers champion Bubba Watson were at even par coming into Friday. But both shot a 63 to move into contention heading into the weekend, three shots behind the leader. Watson jump started his round with an eagle on his third hole, the par-5 13th.
Rory McIlroy also is at 7 under after a 69. McIlroy, Watson and Justin Thomas (5 under) were grouped together Thursday and Friday, drawing large galleries.
Washington native Steve Wheatcroft shot even to narrowly make the cut by one stroke. Wheatcroft is at 2 under heading into the weekend.
Stricker battles conditions, holds lead: Steve Stricker made himself at home at the top of the leaderboard on a rainy and breezy day at the American Family Insurance Championship.
The hometown star and tournament host shot an 8-under 64 at University Ridge to take a one-stroke lead over 63-year-old Brad Bryant in the PGA Tour Champions event.
“The wind was out of the northeast, which is a wind that we don’t see very much of this time of year,” Stricker said. “So there were some holes to start with that played pretty tough and I got through those holes in good shape. Then just kept giving myself a few opportunities. A little hiccup on No. 9, but other than that it was a good round today.”
John Daly, Colin Montgomerie and Steve Flesch all shot 67. Defending champion Fred Couples had a 69.
Splitting time between the PGA Tour and the 50-and-over circuit, the 51-year-old Stricker had his 30th consecutive Champions round under par, the fourth-longest streak in tour history.
Lopez shoots career-low 63: Former Arkansas star Gaby Lopez shot a career-low 8-under 63 to take the first-round lead in the NW Arkansas Championship.
Lopez, a three-time All-American for the Razorbacks, matched her career best by finishing at 8 under – doing so after missing the cut in her last two tournaments. The Mexican player began the tournament at Pinnacle Country Club ranked 136th in the world but finished just two shots off the course record of 10 under in her third year on the LPGA Tour.
Moriya Jutanugarn was a stroke back along with Minjee Lee, Catriona Matthew, Nasa Hataoka, Lizette Salas, Mirim Lee and Aditi Ashok.
Local favorite Stacy Lewis, expecting her first child in early November, had a 66.
Defending champion So Yeon Ryu, coming off a victory Sunday in Michigan, shot a 67.