Walker handles rain and pain
The sun finally came out, and Jimmy Walker saw a glimpse of what he hopes are brighter days ahead.
In a year marked by coping with Lyme disease and bouts of fatigue, Walker endured rain delays of nearly five hours yesterday and posted a 5-under 65 for a 2-shot lead going into the weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.
The timing couldn’t be better for Walker, who goes to Quail Hollow next week to defend his title in the PGA Championship.
Walker was at 7-under 133, 2 shots ahead of Thomas Pieters of Belgium, who had a 70. He has a slew of players not far behind him, as Rory McIlroy put together a steady round of 69 and was 3 shots back, along with Zach Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, who each shot 67.
The large group at 3-under 137 included Jordan Spieth, going after his third straight victory. Spieth birdied the 18th hole to salvage a 70.
Jason Day, winless in nearly 15 months, also got back into the picture despite some mild back pain. He opened with three straight birdies and shot 30 on the front nine to get back near the leaders, though two bogeys on the back nine slowed him. He shot 66, and was in the group at 137.
Among those who fell back was Dustin Johnson, the world’s No. 1 player still trying to find his form from a back injury that knocked him out of the Masters. Johnson didn’t make a birdie in his 75 that knocked him 10 shots out of the lead.
Kim leads British
I.K. Kim, the best player in women’s golf right now, emerged from the cold and wet with a 4-under 68 to build a 2-shot lead in the Women’s British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland.
A two-time winner on the LPGA Tour over the last two months, Kim dropped only one shot in some of the worst conditions at Kingsbarns Links and reached the halfway point at 11-under 133. She was two shots clear of Lexi Thompson and Georgia Hall.
Kim displayed a remarkable fortitude in weather that veered erratically toward the end of the day between bright sunshine and torrential downpours. The 29-year-old from South Korea atoned for her lone bogey with three birdies and an eagle on the 538-yard 11th hole.
First-round leader Michelle Wie did not fare so well. The 27-year old American made only one birdie in a 76 that leaves her seven shots off the pace. Wie has not won since the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
Perry ties at top
Kenny Perry shot a 7-under 65 to hold a share of the lead after the first round of the Champions’ 3M Championship in Blaine, Minn.
Perry, who won this tournament in 2014 and 2015, opened with six straight birdies, and finished with another birdie on the 18th to join Mike Goodes atop the leaderboard at TPC Twin Cities.
Perry, who won the U.S. Senior Open earlier this season by 2 shots at the Salem Country Club in Peabody, finished his front nine at 7-under 29.
Scott Verplank, Marco Dawson, Gene Sauers and Jay Haas finished at 6-under. Steve Flesch, Colin Montgomerie and Brandt Jobe were among the golfers to card 67s.
Senior tour leader Bernhard Langer, who has won four of his first 13 starts in 2017 with four other topthree finishes, shot a 69.
Striking it Richy
Richy Werenski birdied six holes and eagled No. 18 to take a two-point lead in the Barracuda Championship, the PGA Tour’s only modified Stableford scoring event, in Reno, Nev.
The 25-year-old American had a 15-point round to reach 26 points for two trips around the high-altitude course at Montreux Golf and Country Club. The scoring system awards eight points for double eagle, five points for an eagle, two points for a birdie and deducts a point for a bogey and three points for a double bogey or worse.
Stuart Appleby sits alone in second after a six-birdie, two-bogey round. Greg Owen, Luke List, Ben Martin and Dicky Pride are all tied for third at 23 points. Firstround leader John Huh had two birdies and two bogeys to drop into a tie for 19th with 16 points.