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SPORTS Saturday 21 July 2018

Johnson and Kisner, housemates

and British Open leaders

Continued from Page 17 nine, and he dropped only ing into the weekend with
one shot — not four like he Spieth and Rickie Fowler,
It took a chunk out of Dustin did on Thursday — over the who shot 69 and was at
Johnson and Justin Thom- four closing holes at Car- 3-under 139.
as, the Nos. 1 and 2 players noustie for a 67. He goes As for talking shop after
in the world who won’t be into the weekend just three work? Nothing is off limits.
around for the weekend. shots back. “Everybody will tell their hor-
Johnson finished with a “Very happy to be back ror stories and good stories,
double bogey to miss the in the tournament,” Spieth and we’ll laugh and eat a
cut by one. Thomas made said. big old meal and sit around Kevin Kisner of the U.S. waits to play on the 10th tee during
the second round of the British Open Golf Championship in
three straight double bo- Tiger Woods still has work and watching something Carnoustie, Scotland, Friday July 20, 2018.
geys on the front nine and to do after a rugged start, stupid,” Kisner said. Associated Press
missed by one. good recovery and then a Thomas will have one of
And it left a wide-open mix of birdies and bogeys the horror stories.
weekend on a course with that left him stuck in neutral The PGA champion took
a history of crazy finishes. on a better day for scoring. three to get out of a pot
Zach Johnson, whose Woods had another 71 and bunker from the fairway on
name already is on the was six shots behind, with the par-5 sixth hole, mak-
claret jug from his playoff 28 players between him ing the first of three straight
victory at St. Andrews three and the lead. double bogeys.
years ago, played in the “We’ve been fortunate Johnson became the first
morning under an umbrella with the conditions. It No. 1 player to miss the cut
and finished with a 30-foot hasn’t blown yet,” Kisner since Luke Donald in 2011,
birdie putt for a 67. said. “I think it will blow this and it was the second
Johnson and Kisner are weekend and make it even straight that the top two
staying in a house of seven more difficult. Who knows players in the world ranking
players — five of them ma- what’s going to happen? missed the cut in a major.
jor champions — and share We’re going to just keep The way golf has been go-
the lead at 6-under 136. trying to get after it.” ing, it would be reasonable
They played on different Carnoustie was a far dif- to see the name “Johnson”
ends of a day that started ferent test from the open- atop the leaderboard and
gray and ended with shad- ing round, when sunshine assume it belonged to the
ows. Scotland’s unusu- baked the fairways crisp top-ranked player.
ally dry summer finally got and it was difficult to figure But not necessarily at the
a reprieve. There wasn’t out how far the ball was go- British Open.
enough rain to turn brown ing when it hit the ground. “I’ve been called Dustin
fairways green, though it at The steady, light rain made many times,” Zach Johnson
least kept shots from rolling them a little slower and a said. “I doubt he’s been
endlessly. lot more predictable. The called Zach that many
They head into a weekend greens held shots a little times.”
with endless possibilities. better. Johnson overcame a bo-
One shot behind were Strategies changed. Slight- gey on the opening hole
Tommy Fleetwood (65), ly softer conditions meant with birdies on the third and
Pat Perez (68) and Xander power players who were fourth holes, and he never
Schauffele (66). Perez was driving beyond the trouble put himself under too much
tied for the lead until he hit hit more irons off the tee, pressure the rest of the way.
into a bunker on the 18th and shorter players hit more Already a two-time ma-
hole and took bogey. drivers and fairway metals. jor champion with titles at
Rory McIlroy, pledging to Kisner hit 5-iron off the first St. Andrews and Augusta
“go down swinging” to rid tee Thursday. He hit 3-wood National, the 42-year-old
himself of a bad Masters Friday. from Iowa now has made
memory this year, had an- “Hit the same club as the the cut 12 straight times in
other 69 and was part of a approach,” Kisner said. the British Open, a streak
large group two shots be- “That’s a pretty dramatic that began at Carnoustie
hind. difference in distance.” in 2007. His low ball flight,
Jordan Spieth also is in the Kisner is a newcomer to grinding nature and good
mix in his bid to take the what amounts to an Ameri- putting give him the right
claret jug back home to can fraternity house at ingredients.
Texas. golf’s oldest championship Kisner is no stranger to pres-
Spieth hit 8-iron through a the last three years. Four of sure at a major.
gap in the trees for a bird- them are among the top He had at least a share
ie-birdie start to the back 11 on the leaderboard go- of the lead after each of
three rounds at the PGA
Championship last summer
until a bogey on the 70th
hole ruined his chances.
“Hopefully, I’ll have another
chance to prove that I can
do it here,” Kisner said.q
linda.reijnders@cspnv.com