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SPORTSSaturday 6 June 2015

Lingmerth has 1-shot lead; Tiger survives another cut

DOUG FERGUSON the Memorial. some opportunities and the
AP Golf Writer A trio of past champions —
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Da- Hideki Matsuyama, Jim Fu- putts started dropping in,”
vid Lingmerth took a step ryk and Justin Rose — were
toward turning his game in the group that was three Lingmerth said.
around with a 7-under 65 at shots behind. Joining them
the Memorial on Friday. It was Patrick Rodgers, who Dufner was tied for the lead
gave the Swede a one-shot made eight birdies in a
lead going into a weekend round of 66 and is poised to late Thursday until he hit his
that includes Tiger Woods. at least secure temporary
But just barely. membership on the PGA tee shot into the water on
Long after Lingmerth Tour.
capped off a bogey-free Good scores were stacked the 18th and made double
round at Muirfield Village, up behind them. There
Woods was 40 yards away were plenty of birdies avail- bogey.
from the flag on the 18th able on a course that still
green and in dire need of presents trouble around He started Friday on the
getting up-and-down to every corner.
save par and avoid missing “Every shot gets your atten- back nine and was in trou-
his first cut at the tourna- tion,” Rose said.
ment he has won five times. It got the attention of Mas- ble early when he hit into
For his second straight tour- ters champion Jordan Spi-
nament, he holed a key eth. He went out in 31 and the water on the par-3 12th
putt to survive. was creeping up on the
“At least I was able to make lead when he wound up and had to make a 4-foot-
those putts, so that’s a posi- on the wrong side of the
tive sign,” Woods said after 10th green and made dou- er to salvage double bo-
his 2-under 70. “Now I just ble bogey, and he never
need to put myself in the recovered. Spieth missed gey. His fortunes changed
position where those putts a half-dozen putts from 10
are to win tournaments, not feet or in and had to settle quickly. He hit a wedge to
to make cuts.” for a 70 that put him six
He was 11 shots behind shots behind. 5 feet for birdie on the 14th.
Lingmerth, who was at Phil Mickelson made a late
12-under 132. eagle for a 68 and was in He hit hybrid into 6 feet for
Woods had to hang on, the group at 4-under 140.
making two straight bogeys Kenny Perry made bogey eagle on the 15th. And
before his par save on the on his last hole for a 73 and
final hole. For Jason Dufner, missed the cut by one shot. then he hit 6-iron into the
it was a thrill a minute. The 54-year-old took a ca-
Dufner made a 5 on a par reer money exemption for hole on the par-3 16th.
3 and a 3 on a par 5. And the year so he could end
that was before he made his career at the Memorial, Five under on three holes
a hole-in-one — his fourth which he won two times.
eagle of the week — on Lingmerth had missed four goes a long way.
the par-3 16th hole. He fol- cuts in his last five starts,
lowed that with a bogey. It and the start of this tourna- “Probably the best I’ve
was relatively boring after ment was ominous when
that, and the former PGA he was 2 over through four ever done,” Dufner said.
champion wound up with holes. He made seven bird-
a 67 that put him in final ies on his last 12 holes on Woods, meanwhile,
group with Lingmerth, just Thursday, and he made
one shot behind. seven more Friday. opened with three bird-
Dufner didn’t have much to “I started giving myself
ies in four holes, though he

was still wild off the tee. He

mixed bogeys with bird-

ies and was in reasonable

shape at 3 under for the

tournament until he missed

the 16th green long and

made bogey, and then

found a deep patch of

David Lingmerth, of Sweden, reacts after a birdie on the 18th rough just off the left side
hole during the second round of the Memorial golf tournament,
Friday, June 5, 2015, in Dublin, Ohio. of the fairway at the 17th,

Associated Press had to lay up and could

get no closer than 30 feet

say — he rarely does, even Dufner said. “I’m having from 100 yards. That bogey
when he won the PGA enough good holes, good
Championship two years shots, to offset some of the put him on the cut line, and
ago — and spoke only to mistakes I’ve had.”
Ohio-based reporters. Until Ryan Moore, gearing up for he popped up his 3-wood
a tie for eighth last week at a U.S. Open near his home-
the AT&T Byron National, he town outside Tacoma, off the 18th tee into rough.
had gone just over a year Washington, had another
without a top 10 on Ameri- 67 and was at 10-under But he saved his par and
can soil. The only time he 134, along with Andy Sul-
made news was when his livan of England, who can saved his weekend.
divorce was reported. earn a spot at Chambers
“I’m hitting it really good,” Bay with a good week at This is the third straight tour-

nament that Woods made

the cut, something he

hasn’t done in a year. He

believes he is making prog-

ress, though the bar has

been lowered significantly

at the moment.q