Furyk holds slim lead in Barclays Classic
HARRISON, N.Y. (AP) – Caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan picked the club and fixed the ballmark. Jim Furyk took care of the rest. The 2003 U.S. Open champion holed out from 153 yards for an eagle 2 on the eighth hole – his 17th Friday – and finished with a par for a 2-under 69 and a one-stroke lead over Brian Gay after the second round of the Barclays Classic.
“I was between 9-iron and 8-iron,” Furyk said. “I wanted to hit the 9, but my caddie talked me out of it. After he told me what he thought the wind was doing and described the shot, I thought he was right.”
The nine-time PGA Tour winner, fully recovered from a wrist injury that sidelined him for most of the first half of last season, had an 8-under 134 total on the hilly, tree-lined Westchester Country Club course. He took a three-stroke lead into his morning round after opening with a 65 Thursday afternoon.
Gay birdied three of the last five holes for a 66 Friday.
“I’m very pleased,” said Gay, the only afternoon starter in the top eight. “It was very tough out there. The greens are really getting baked out.”
Padraig Harrington (65), Len Mattiace (65), Kenny Perry (68), John Senden (67) and Hidemichi Tanaka (68) were tied for third at 6 under.
“I think they set the pins up brutal for the first two rounds,” said Perry, a two-time winner this year. “I’ve never seen them set up this tough. They seem to be more on the edges.”
Kevin Sutherland (68) was four strokes back at 4 under, and Vijay Singh (71) and Tom Pernice Jr. (69) were 3 under. Singh was in a much better mood Friday after criticizing tour officials Thursday for failing to enforce slow-play rules.
Lemieux Invitational
PRESTO, Pa. – Former major league pitcher Rick Rhoden holds a one-point lead over Shane Rawley after the first round of the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational.
Rhoden, a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1979 World Series championship team, shot a 3-under 69 and scored plus-26 on the modified Stableford scoring system.
Rawley, who has finished second in the event twice, also shot a 3-under-par 69.
Tied for third at plus-24 were defending champion Pierre Larouche, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens, along with Mark Rypien, who led the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl in 1992, and retired NHL center Bernie Nicholls.
The scoring system gives eight points for a double eagle, five for eagle, three for birdie and one for par. Players do not receive points for bogey and lose two for a double-bogey or worse.