CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bubba Watson overpowered Quail Hollow and wound up with a perfect day — he tied a course record with a 30 on the front nine, shot 7-under-par 65 to share the lead, and doesn’t have to play with Tiger Woods.
Retief Goosen, a two-time U.S. Open champion who thrives on fast greens, had another 68 on Friday to join Watson atop the leaderboard at the Quail Hollow Championship with an 8-under 136.
Woods seized control with a 55-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole and had a two-shot lead for most of the back nine until a sloppy finish, making bogeys on two of the last three holes for a 72 that left him one shot behind.
Former Masters champion Zach Johnson, one of eight players who had at least a share of the lead at one point, was the only player to reach 10-under until he bogeyed the last three holes for a 67 and joined the group at 7-under 137 that comprises Woods, Jim Furyk (66) and George McNeill (68).
Another shot back was Phil Mickelson, whose 71 was anything but routine. He was finding his groove until he four-putted from 40 feet for double bogey on the 17th hole. He also had a two-putt par that featured two clubs — a 64-degree sand wedge on the fourth green to get over a steep slope and a putter for the remaining 5 feet.
“My round was a bit more exciting than I wanted it to be,” said Mickelson, who will play with Camilo Villegas (67).
Watson has never won a tournament and doesn’t get much attention except the freak show he puts on with his outrageous length, such as the 380-yard drive at No. 5 that left him a 9-iron into the green on the 569-yard par 5. And he doesn’t like attention, especially when the cameras come around.
“It’s just because I play golf because I love the golf courses, I love to play, and now I’ve got all these strangers staring at me,” Watson said. “I get nervous around people.”
Woods was even for his round when he got a big break at the turn, hammering a 55-foot putt that slammed into the back of the cup, went a few inches airborne and dropped into the cup. The fist pump was exchanged for an apologetic smile.
“It would have been in the grandstands if it didn’t hit the hole,” Woods said. “It was nice to have a train wreck and have it go in.”
Frenchman Levet leads Spanish Open
GIRONA, Spain — Frenchman Thomas Levet fired a 5-under 67 that gave him a 13-under 131 total and two-stroke lead over first-round leader Soren Hansen after the second round of the Spanish Open. John Daly shot a 72 to sit 11 shots back at 142. The Associated Press
