Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Saturday 11 May 2019

Byron Nelson

Continued from Page 17 “My 67 doesn’t look so
good,” the beanie-wear-
He overcame two early ing Spieth said, comparing
bogeys with six birdies in an his to Kang’s score. “But go-
11-hole stretch that includ- ing out today, if you had of-
ed four in a row late. fered me 4 under, I would
“Solid round, just trying to have taken it.”
keep pace,” Koepka said. First-round leader Denny
“I would like to have been McCarthy followed his
in the lead. But I mean, hey opening 63 with a 77.
61 today was pretty darn Tony Romo, the CBS NFL
impressive.” analyst and former Dallas
Koepka was a stroke ahead Cowboys quarterback and
of Rory Sabbatini, who had also a Trinity Forest mem-
a bogey-free 65. ber, was 8 over after a 74.
With temperatures in the He missed the cut, like he
low 50s, Kang opened with did in two other PGA Tour
a 9-foot birdie on the par-5 starts in the Dominican Re-
No. 1 hole. His approach to public, and tied for 148th in
within a foot of the cup at the event that began with
the 311-yard No. 5 set up a 156 players. Tony Romo watches a shot to the ninth green during the second round of the Byron Nelson golf
string of six birdies in a row. The only bogey for Every tournament Friday, May 10, 2019, in Dallas.
“I don’t know what the came at the 606-yard 14th Associated Press
guys are talking about. hole, where his tee shot set- feet. While Every didn’t get ter the tournament moved Romo, the only amateur
Perfect and awesome tled in the lip of a fairway as much as he would have from Four Seasons. in the Nelson, played on
and nice conditions for the bunker. Every slung away wanted out of those two Spieth again got off to a a sponsor exemption. He
course,” Kang said jokingly the rake that was by the tee shots that he called his solid start before making his plans to compete in a U.S.
after getting a post-round bunker when he got there. best shots of the day, he still turn off a double bogey — Open local qualifying tour-
fist pump from Jordan Spi- He then hit the ball, which had an impressive round at No. 9 during his opening nament next week.
eth, a member at Trinity didn’t go nearly as far as “drafting off of Sung all 68 and at the 494-yard 18th After an opening 76 with a
Forest who shot 67 to get to the helicoptering club that day, really.” on Friday, when he had an chip-in eagle, Romo had
7 under. he then threw in disgust. After his near miss at No. 15, approach shot roll back three birdies Friday that
Kang had three more bird- “Nothing I can do about it Kang’s tee shot at the 382- down a swale toward him. were countered by four
ies in four holes on the back except get mad and com- yard 16th went into a bun- He then birdied No. 1, and bogeys and a double bo-
nine. His only par in that plain, which I did,” he said. ker, but he blasted to 11 had three more birdies the gey. “I think more than
stretch was at the 441-yard “Other than that, it was feet and made birdie. He last five holes. anything, I got a sense to
par-4 15th — where the good.” just missed a 24-foot birdie “It was nice to bounce be able to hit a lot of high-
31-year-old South Korean At the par-3 17th, Every’s chance at the par-3 17th, back,” said Spieth, without quality shots under what is
who lives in North Texas had tee shot landed on the and finished with a 14-foot a top-20 finish this season a pressure situation for me,”
his putter raised in the air green in a good position, par to match the 61 Marc and without a win since the Romo said. “That’s encour-
in anticipation of another but rolled off and down Leishman had last year 2017 British Open. “That’s aging and shows that the
birdie. The 21-foot chance the hill into some rough. He in the first Nelson round nice as you go into a week- work you’re doing holds up
instead lipped the cup. saved par after hitting to 8 played at Trinity Forest af- end. Good momentum.” when it counts.”q

Stricker takes Regions Tradition lead with 2nd-round 64

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — That 4:30 a.m. wakeup call didn’t slow down The 2018 U.S. Senior Open winner got plenty of chances to observe
Steve Stricker. Stricker completed a 4-under 68 in the delayed first Stricker’s putting.
round and shot a season-best 64 in the second Friday to take a two- “I was watching. We played slow enough that I saw at least every
stroke lead in the Regions Tradition, the first of five PGA Tour Champi- putt that he made,” Toms said. “We didn’t see too many shots into the
ons majors. Stricker, a three-time winner on the 50-and-over tour after greens, so I knew he was playing well. I figured they were out there if
winning 12 times on the PGA Tour, had five holes left Thursday when he was doing it, so I just tried to stay close. I rallied my last nine holes,
play was suspended because of storms. made five birdies and got within striking distance anyway.”
David Toms was second after his second bogey-free 67 on Greystone’s First-round leader Glen Day followed his opening 64 with an even-par
Founders Course . 72 to drop four strokes back.
Most players had to finish the first round in the morning after bad Billy Andrade was three strokes behind Stricker and two-time cham-
weather halted play at midday Thursday, leading to the early start. pion Bernhard Langer matched Day at four back. Andrade and Day
“It’s a little uncomfortable because we’re usually not doing that on both shot second-round 67s.
the Champions Tour,” said Stricker, who had five birdies on his first nine An eagle on No. 15 highlighted Scott Parel’s 66 that moved him within
holes. “It’s usually those 11 (a.m.) to 1 (p.m.) tee times, somewhere in five shots from the lead.
there. So those early mornings are not fun sometimes.” Defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez was six shots back after a
This one might have been an exception, for Stricker at least. He has 70. They’ll have an early two-tee start against Saturday with the lead-
only competed in four other senior events this year while splitting time ers teeing off at 9 a.m.
on the PGA Tour. He tied for second at Tradition last year and it’s the Andrade was among those who was off the course before Thursday’s
only senior major championship he has played in. round was stopped.
His best finish in a PGA Tour major was second to Vijay Singh in the 1998 “I thought it was amazing how dry it was (Friday),” he said. “I thought
PGA Championship. that for sure it was going to have a lot more casual water, kind of like
Toms birdied five of his last nine holes. He and Stricker both started on last week in Houston where you’re dropping, trying to find dry land. This
No. 10 and Toms was even par at the turn after a bogey and birdie. place has drained unbelievably. I couldn’t believe it.”q