ST. LOUIS — Jim Furyk only wanted to give himself a chance in the BMW Championship, and it took 36 holes to do it on a marathon Saturday that put him atop the leaderboard for the first time all year.
Whether he stays there when everyone finishes the third round is still to be determined.
Furyk finished with five straight birdies to set the course record at Bellerive Country Club with an 8-under 62 in the second round, then followed with a 66 that put him at 12-under 198 and gave him the clubhouse lead.
Camilo Villegas, who shot 66 in the morning for a one-shot lead through 36 holes, also was 12-under and had five holes left in the third round when play was suspended by darkness.
He will have to return this morning to finish his round in a tournament twice interrupted by weather. Rain kept the BMW Championship from starting until Friday, and the plan for everyone to play 36 holes Saturday was disrupted by a 90-minute fog delay in the morning.
But it was packed with all kinds of drama.
Sergio Garcia made the first hole-in-one of his professional career, a 5-iron from 205 yards on the third hole in the morning that put him into the mix. Bart Bryant made an ace in the afternoon, on No. 13, four holes after learning he had been docked a two-shot penalty simply for opening his mouth.
Former Colorado State standout Martin Laird tapped down his own pitch mark on the fringe of the 16th green during the second round, which he was not supposed to do because it was in Bryant’s line. The fact that Bryant said “yes” when Laird asked if it was in his line meant Bryant was penalized for going along with it.
Laird was not disqualified because it was not his intent to help Bryant, who chipped well over the mark.
Furyk hit 24 consecutive fairways until he started to tire at the end of a long day and found the rough on the 18th hole. He could not advance it to the green, came up short with a wedge and was thrilled to sink a 5-footer for bogey.
He played 36 holes and took only 128 shots. Of equal importance is that he should get at least eight hours of sleep.
Footnotes.
Teenager Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 66 to take a four-stroke lead after the third round of the European Masters in Crans-Sur-Sierre, Switzerland.
The 19-year-old player from Northern Ireland had a 54-hole total of 13-under 200 to lead a group of six players bunched at 204.
• Annika Sorenstam, playing in her last event as a pro in Europe, shot a 5-under 68 to trail Melissa Reid by six shots after the second round of the Nykredit Masters in Helsingoer, Denmark.
The Associated Press
