Page 22 - aruba-today-20170826

A22 SPORTS
Saturday 26 auguSt 2017

Johnson, Spieth, Fowler part of logjam at Northern Trust

By DOUG FERGUSON the cut were Hideki Mat- and I’m looking forward to
AP Golf Writer suyama, the No. 1 seed go- this weekend.”
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (AP) ing into the playoffs, who Fowler, meanwhile stuffed
— Two swings cost Dustin three-putted the last hole it on No. 4 and rolled in an
Johnson the lead. It wasn’t and missed by one. 8-footer on the par-3 sixth
long before Jordan Spieth The cut ended the season over water, and just like
and Rickie Fowler caught of 13 players, a group that that they were tied.
up to him in The Northern included Presidents Cup “Pretty stress-free,” Fowler
Trust, setting up a weekend captain Steve Stricker and said. “I’ve been driving it
of star power in the open- former PGA champion Jim- well this week, which is key
ing FedEx Cup playoff my Walker. around here. You don’t
event. Johnson looked so sharp want to play out of the
Johnson, finally looking early on that he didn’t have rough.”
like the No. 1 player who a birdie putt longer than 12 Phil Mickelson limited his
looked unstoppable in the feet over his first six holes, mistakes and made four
spring, appeared on the though he converted just birdies in a round of 68,
verge of building a big two of them. He reached 8 which left him six shots be-
lead at Glen Oaks Club under when he hammered hind but gave him two
until consecutive tee shots a driver and a fairway met- more rounds at Glen Oaks
wound up on the wrong Dustin Johnson waves on the 15th hole during the final round al to the back of the green to post the kind of scores
holes and forced him to of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow on the 629-yard third hole, that would make him a vi-
scramble just to escape Club Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017, in Charlotte, N.C. Associated Press two-putting for birdie. able pick for the Presidents
with bogey. But his tee shot on No. 4 Cup.
Fowler made up a five-shot use one or two good putts Jon Rahm, who played was inches away from the Rory McIlroy chipped in for
deficit in six holes playing to make me feel like I’m with Johnson and Fowler, third fairway, and his next birdie on the tough par-
alongside Johnson, mak- putting awesome. had a 68 and was two shot struck a tree. 3 second and shot 68. He
ing a 15-foot birdie on the “I got on the good side of shots behind along with He had to get up-and- was seven shots behind.
last hole for a 66 to join the streak on the back nine Justin Rose (68) and Russell down from 50 feet right to The focus was at the top
Johnson and Jhonattan today.” Henley (72). save bogey. The next tee with so many popular play-
Vegas (65) atop the lead- Spieth made pars from the Seventy players made the shot was so far left it was ers contending — Spieth,
erboard. And then Spieth bunkers on the last two cut at 2 over par. in the rough on the fourth Fowler, Johnson at the top.
put together a stretch Fri- holes to join the others at That included Geoff Ogil- hole. He clipped branches, “That’s what tends to hap-
day afternoon reminiscent 6-under 134. vy, who went bunker-to- hit a poor chip and had to pen in the playoffs,” Spieth
of his British Open victory, He wasn’t alone in running bunker-to-bunker on his two-putt from 80 feet for his said. “As less guys make
minus a shot from the driv- off a string of birdies. Matt final hole and had to make bogey. the next tournaments, you
ing range, in a 65. Kuchar looked as though a 4-foot putt for double bo- “But other than that, I felt start to get players that are
Spieth began the back he might miss the cut until gey. If he had missed, then like it was a really solid playing very well, and to no
nine with five straight bird- his caddie encourage him it would have let 11 players day,” Johnson said. “I’m re- surprise, those guys are to-
ies, matching his longest to try to get back to even back into the tournament. ally pleased with the way ward the top. ... Should be
birdie streak on the PGA par. Kuchar ran off four Among those missing the golf game is right now an exciting weekend.”q
Tour. It ended with a bogey straight birdies and kept
on the par-3 15th when his right on rolling, ending his
tee shot rolled back into round of 64 with eight bird- Froome keeps his lead after Spanish
the water, but then he an- ies on the last 10 holes.
swered with a 40-foot bird- Kuchar and two-time Mas- Vuelta’s longest stage
ie putt up the slope on the ters champion Bubba Wat-
16th. son (68) were one shot out
Even without his best year of the lead. CUENCA, Spain (AP) — Slo- Mohoric crossed the line win,” Mohoric said. “I’ve
with his best club, Spieth Watson is at No. 113 in the vene rider Matej Mohoric 16 seconds in front of the always worked hard and
has won three times and FedEx Cup, and only the comfortably won the Span- chasing pack. gave my best, but it feels
captured the third leg of top 100 after The Northern ish Vuelta’s longest stage Pawel Poljanski of Poland great to get the victory
the Grand Slam. But his Trust advance to the next on Friday and Chris Froome was second and Jose Joa- again.”
putter doesn’t leave him playoff event at the TPC maintained his overall lead. quin Rojas of Spain third. Froome finished nearly
for long. Boston. Watson says he Mohoric took control of the Fourteen riders broke from nine minutes from the lead
“Putter has been streaky won’t play the rest of the race during the final climb the peloton early in the along with his Sky team-
for me this summer, which year once he is eliminat- and cruised to victory af- stage and all managed to mates and the rest of the
is better than just kind of ing. A big finish this week ter a winding descent that finish within three minutes main peloton, enough to
not-so-great, which it was could delay that another capped the 207-kilometer of Mohoric. keep his 11-second lead.
before that,” he said. “So month, a nice problem to (128-mile) stage from Lliria “It’s incredible, it’s been a “We always had it under
I’ve been able to mentally have. to Cuenca. long time since my last big control,” Froome said.q