Page 19 - aruba-today-20170513

A19
SPORTS Saturday 13 May 2017

Oosthuizen, Stanley share lead at Players Championship

DOUG FERGUSON Defending champion Ja-
AP Golf Writer son Day didn’t make up
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. any ground, either, trading
(AP) — Each birdie by Louis birdies and bogeys for a 72.
Oosthuizen and Kyle Stan- He also was seven back at
ley pushed them higher up 2-under 142. Rickie Fowler
the leaderboard, a little shot 74 and joined Johnson
further away from those and McIlroy at 144.
chasing them in The Play- Ian Poulter, who only got
ers Championship. into The Players on a cleri-
And as Friday showed, ev- cal mistake regarding his
ery little bit helps. time away for injury, shot
Anirban Lahiri looked like a 67 and was in the large
lock to at least make the group at 5-under 139.
cut until he hit three shots Oosthuizen picked up bird-
into the water on the 18th ies on both par 3s on the
and took a 10. Jim Furyk back nine, and then hit his
celebrated his 47th birth- best shot on the first hole
day with a solid round that from deep in the woods on
came undone with two pine straw. He managed
shots into the water on to play a low punch shot
the island-green 17th that with a draw, and it ran up
caused him to take the to about 5 feet for a bird-
weekend off. ie. He let his putter do the
J.B. Holmes was tied for the work the rest of the way,
lead until bogeys on his last Louis Oosthuizen, of South Africa, hits from the sixth tee during the first round of The Players Cham- holing 20-foot birdie putts
pionship golf tournament Thursday, May 11, 2017, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
two holes. Associated Press on the fifth and ninth holes
Vijay Singh, the 54-year-old to share the lead.
surprise of the tournament, behind when they finished, and there will be another Zac Blair. He hit three shots Thunderstorms are possible
poured in putts from every- and they could sense that cut Saturday because into the water on the par-3 for Saturday afternoon,
where until a three-putt on because of steamy weath- more than 78 players ad- 17th and made a 9. which might be what it
the 18th gave him a 68 and er and swaying pines that vanced to the weekend. Phil Mickelson started mak- takes to at least soften the
put him three behind. nobody was going to get That’s when the tourna- ing putts and moved up the Players Stadium Course.
“I don’t think you can ev- too far away from him. ment will finally start to take leaderboard, only to begin That still doesn’t change
ery get too comfortable “I’m going to have to play shape, and while Oosthui- a slow slide. He made three the nature of the TPC Saw-
out here,” Stanley said af- two really good rounds on zen and Stanley stood out bogeys on the back nine grass, which can penal-
ter an eight-birdie round of the weekend,” Johnson with the best scores of the and then, torn between a ize a slight miss with a big
6-under 66, matching Oost- said. second round, both know it 9-iron and a wedge on the number.
huizen for the best score Johnson and McIlroy at can change quickly. 17th, he opted for a wedge Among those at 4 under
of the second round and least are still in the game. “We’re in a pretty good to make sure it didn’t go was Jon Rahm of Spain,
giving them a share of the Jordan Spieth was headed spot going into this week- over the back of the is- who couldn’t get going
lead at 9-under 135. home after missing the cut end,” said Oosthuizen, the land. It still hopped hard at because of bogeys that
As conditions toughened for the third straight year, 2010 British Open cham- the back of the green and followed birdies and led to
at TPC Sawgrass, they yet he didn’t sound terribly pion who still hasn’t won went into the water, lead- a 74.
played even better. upset. He chalked that up in America. “A lot of golf ing to a double bogey. “I’m playing some of my
Dustin Johnson and Rory to not being able to handle to be played around this That left him at 72, seven best golf and I’m only
McIlroy scrapped it around this strand of grass when it golf course, and as we’ve shots behind. 4-under par,” Rahm said.
Friday morning, Johnson gets firm and crusty. Spi- seen the last two days, you “It’s a hard course, and “When you have the best
making only one birdie for eth’s last hope ended with can easily make a mistake any errant swings will lead players in the world and
a 73 and McIlroy manag- a tee shot that bounced around this track.” to not a good score,” Mick- the cut is over par, it shows
ing through nagging back at the back of the island- Yes, there were plenty of elson said. “But I played a that the golf course is very
pain for a 71. They were at green 17th and into the those. good front nine and shot tough.” And it showed that
even par and not too both- water. Along with Lahiri, the other even. I don’t know what Oosthuizen and Stanley
ered. They were only five The cut was at 2-over 146, big number belonged to else to say.” were at their best.q