CROMWELL, Conn. - Although Bubba Watson will always have a soft spot in his heart for Augusta National, he enjoys playing TPC at River Highlands nearly as much.
Watson shot a 3-under-par 67 on Friday to take a twostroke lead over Patrick Reed and Padraig Harrington after two rounds of the Travelers Championship.
“I love this place. I always play well here,” Watson said.
The 2010 Travelers champion was at 10-under 130. Reed and Harrington were at 8 under after both shot 66s in the second round.
Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) had seven birdies and two bogeys for a 5-under 65. He was at 133 for the two rounds and tied for fourth with Nick O’Hearn, Tommy Gainey and 2007 champion Hunter Mahan.
Charley Hoffman, who held the first-round lead after a 61 on Thursday, followed that with a 73 in a round that included three bogeys and a double-bogey.
One week after winning the U.S. Open at Merion, Justin Rose was tied for 12th at 5 under.
Watson, whose last victory came in the 2012 Masters, has played well in this event often. He’s finished in the top 15 four times in six previous starts, including that victory in 2010 - his first on the PGA Tour - and a second-place finish last year.
“The tee shots set up well for me. I like the way they look,” Watson said. “There’s about two tee shots on the whole course that are really tough for me. Other than that, the course sets up well for me.”
With two top-10 finishes and six top-25s this season, Watson is 57th in FedEx Cup points. He finished tied for 32nd in last week’s U.S. Open.
Watson began his day with a bogey at No. 10 but made four birdies after that in the relatively benign morning conditions. Windy conditions kept many of those who began their rounds in the afternoon from matching the scores of their early rising counterparts.
Harrington hasn’t won since the 2008 PGA Championship, his third career major. The 41-year-old Irishman has missed four cuts this season but is playing relatively well lately. He finished 10th at theSt. Jude Classic two weeks ago and tied for 21st at the U.S. Open last week.
Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had 5 birdies, 1 bogey and 1 double bogey for a 2-under 68. Bryce Molder (Conway) had three birdies and three bogeys for an evenpar round of 70.
John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) had 1 birdie, 4 bogeys and 1 double bogey for a 5-over 75 and failed to make the cut. Glen Day (Little Rock) had 1 birdie, 3 bogeys and 1 double bogey for a 4-over 74 and failed to make the cut. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had two birdies and one bogey for an even-par round of 70, but failed to make the cut.
PGA EUROPEAN TOUR Els retains lead
MUNICH - Ernie Els shot a 3-under 69 in the second round of the BMW International Open on Friday to maintain his one-stroke lead.
The South African made 6 birdies, 1 double bogey and 1 bogey, leaving him at 12-under 132 halfway through the European Tour event. Els, a two-time winner of the British Open and U.S. Open, openedwith a 63 Thursday.
He was followed by Matthew Baldwin of England (69) and Alexander Levy of France (68). Defending champion Danny Willett of England shot a 65 for the day’s best round and was tied for fourth place with Bernd Wiesberger of Austria.
Willett was six strokes off the pace after an opening 69 and is happy he is back in contention to become the first player to defend the title in the 25th year of the event.
Five players - 2008 winner Martin Kaymer and Marcel Siem of Germany, Tommy Fleetwood of England, Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sweden’s Alex Noren - were three strokes off the pace in sixth.
WEB.COM TOUR Hadley 10 under
RALEIGH, N.C. - Chesson Hadley held the lead Friday heading into the weekend at the Rex Hospital Open on the TPC Wakefield Plantation course.
The Raleigh native had three birdies and a bogey for a 2-under 69 in the second round and has a 10-under total of 132.
Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) had two birdies and three bogeys for a 1-over 72 and failed to make the cut Friday with a two-round total of 142.
CHAMPIONS TOUR 3 tied for lead
GLENVIEW, Ill. - Craig Stadler birdied five of his first 11 holes Friday to jump into a share of the lead with Duffy Waldorf and Bernhard Langer at 5-under-par 67 in therain-delayed Champions Tour Encompass Championship at North Shore Country Club.
There were 23 players left on the course when play on the 54-hole tournament was suspended by darkness. Stadler, who didn’t start until after a 3-hour, 28-minute delay for severe weather was in the next-to-last group to finish.
The players with holes remaining will do so this morning before the second round begins.
Sports, Pages 23 on 06/22/2013