VIRGINIA WATER, England - Rory McIlroy was one of five 2012 European Ryder Cup players to miss the cut Friday in the BMW PGA Championship, while Medinah teammate Francesco Molinari took the lead at cold and wet Wentworth.
McIlroy, the second-ranked player in the world, had a 3-over 75 to finish at 5 over. Two-time defending champion Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Paul Lawrie - all members of Europe’s winning team last year at Medinah - also dropped out early. Molinari put himself in position for his fourth European Tour title, shooting a 68 to take a one-stroke lead at 6 under.
“I am really happy with my two days and while the conditions were quite tough, I’m hitting the ball well off the tee, and the putter is also working well,” the Italian said.
South Africa’s George Coetzee, Scotland’s Marc Warren, England’s Mark Foster and Spain’s Alejandro Canizares were tied for second. Foster had a 69, and Coetzee, Warren and Canizares shot 70.
Sergio Garcia, the Spanish player whose verbal sparring with Tiger Woods turned ugly this week when he said he would “serve fried chicken” if he were to invite Woods over dinner at the U.S. Open, was five strokes back after a 71.
McIlroy hit only four fairways in the second round, a roller-coaster front nine of four birdies but also five bogeys. He parred the next seven holes, made a double bogey on the 17th after driving out of bounds, and closed with a two-putt birdie. Poulter was 8 over after a 76.
Lawrie was 3 over after a 72, and McDowell 5 over after a 75. In his last five events, McDowell missed the cut in the Masters, won the RBC Heritage, missed the cut in The Players Championship, won the Volvo Match Play Championship and missed cut in the BMW PGA.
PGA TOUR
Kuchar leads Colonial
FORT WORTH - Matt Kuchar was 10 under par on the 16th green when the second round of the Colonial was suspended Friday night because of an impending storm system.
There were 18 groups still on the course, three still with eight holes to play, when play was stopped at 6:38 p.m. Central. The second round at Hogan’s Alley will be completed this morning.
Kuchar had a one-stroke lead over Graham DeLaet, the Canadian who shot a 67 in a morning round completed before an 2-hour, 10-minute delay just after noon because of lightning.
First-round leader Ryan Palmer was still at 8 under after shooting even par on his 12 holes Friday.
Jordan Spieth, Steve Flesch and Josh Teater finished at 8 under.
John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) had one birdie and two bogeys before his round was suspended after 13 holes. He is 3 over for the tournament, and would likely need at least four birdies on his final five holes this morning to make the cut, which is projected at 1 under. Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) had four birdies and two bogeys for a 2-under 68 and is tied for ninth at 6 under. Duke had it to 8 under after four consecutive birdies on the front nine, but bogeys on Nos. 11 and 17 dropped him back to 6 under.
David Lingmerth (Arkansas Razorbacks) bounced back from an opening 2-over 72 to post a bogey-free 6-under 64 and is tied for 29th at 4 under. Bryce Molder (Conway) had two birdies and three bogeys and is 1 over for his round through 14 holes and is 2 under for the tournament after opening with a 67. Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) had two birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey for a second consecutive 3-over 73 and is 124th at 6 over. Scott Gardiner (Farmington) had one birdie, one bogey and a triple bogey and is at 3 over for his round after having his round halted after 11 holes. He is 8 over for the tournament.
CHAMPIONS TOUR Cochran, Perry tied at 66
ST. LOUIS - Russ Cochran and Kenny Perry each shot 5-under 66 on Friday to share the second round lead in the Senior PGA Championship.
The longtime Kentucky friends were 7 under at Bellerive Country Club in the major championship. They will play together for the third straight day Saturday.
Japan’s Kiyoshi Murota was two strokes back after a 70. Jay Haas and Duffy Waldorf, tied for the lead after the first round, matched Loren Roberts at 4 under. Roberts had a 68, and Haas and Waldorf shot 72.LPGA TOUR Bowie Young takes lead
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Heather Bowie Young made five consecutive birdies while hop-scotching across the golf course Friday in the Bahamas LPGA Classic.
Bowie Young made birdies on half of the 12 holes the LPGA Tour set up Friday for a 6-under 39 at the Ocean Club, giving her a one-shot lead in the middle of a long, strange opening round that had no chance of finishing because of a three-hour delay.
Severe flooding earlier in the week left much of the course under water. The LPGA decided to use the holes that were available, and two of those holes had to be converted into par 3s because bunkers had caved in from a foot of rain that fell in a five hour stretch Tuesday night.
Anna Nordqvist ran off three consecutive birdies early in her round and closed with a birdie for a 5-under 40, tied with Lisa McCloskey. A half-dozen players at 41 included Suzann Pettersen and Brittany Lang.
Nordqvist fared much better than the other two players in her group - Inbee Park and Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks), Nos. 1 and 2 in the women’s world ranking. Park failed to make a single birdie in her round of 1-over 46. Lewis was going along fine until the par-5 11th, her sixth hole. She pulled her second shot just into a bunker, leaving an awkward third shot from about 50 yards that had to clear another bunker. She clipped it clean, and it sailed over the back of the green and into the water, leading to double bogey.
Lewis birdied her next two holes and had a 1-under 44.
Karen Stupples (Arkansas State) had two birdies for a 2-under 43. Stacy Prammansudh (Conway) had one birdie, one bogey and a double bogey for a 2-over 47.
WEB.COM TOUR Two on top
LEON, Mexico - Clubhouse leader Tyrone Van Aswegen and Michael Putnam were leading the Mexico Championship at El Bosque GC at 9 under on Friday in the second round, which was suspended for a second day because of bad weather.
Michael Connell had a 5-under 67 for the day in third. Jeff Klauk was 1-under at 71 and tied at fourth with Stephan Jaeger.
Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) had three birdies and a bogey for a 2-under 70.
Sports, Pages 26 on 05/25/2013