DUBLIN, Ohio — One last birdie for Jim Furyk put him one more stroke under par, which he found more gratifying than holding a share of the lead with Jonathan Byrd on Friday at the Memorial.
Blue skies and warm sun translated into fast greens at Muirfield Village, leading to a crammed leaderboard going into a weekend loaded with possibilities.
Tiger Woods had his worst score in nearly two years — a 2-over 74 — and still was only six shots behind. Furyk made two bogeys on the back nine, but finished with an 8-iron that stopped about 8 feet away for birdie on the 18th that gave him a 2-under 70. He hasn’t been atop the leaderboard this deep into a tournament since winning the Canadian Open in 2007, his last PGA Tour victory.
Byrd had a bogey-free 68 in the morning, also making a birdie on the 18th. He and Furyk were at 7-under 137.
Asked how he felt about being tied for the lead, Furyk replied, “I’d rather be as many under par as possible.”
“I just want to go out there and play one more solid round tomorrow and hopefully sit in the same spot, and put myself in good position for Sunday’s round,” said Furyk, the 2002 Memorial winner. “I’ll just be jockeying for position and trying to play another good round.”
He’ll have plenty of company.
Mike Weir (69) and Mark Wilson (70) were another shot back at 6-under 138. The top 16 players were separated by three shots.
Woods was at 1-under 143. That was only six shots from the lead with 36 holes to play, although he had 23 players ahead of him, a list that includes Ernie Els (70), Stewart Cink (72) and Davis Love III (68) at 4-under 140.
Also at 140 was Luke Donald (76) , who opened with a 64 and a three-shot lead that vanished with a 40 on his opening nine.
Alfredsson makes a move
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak (68) maintained a share of the State Farm Classic lead while Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson shot into contention with a spectacular second round — a 9-under 63.
Winless the past two years and seeking her first top-10 finish in 10 starts this season, Pak shot a 4-under 68. That left her at 10-under 134 and tied with Suzann Pettersen (66).
Langer in the lead
LAKEWAY, Texas — Bernhard Langer birdied the par-3 18th hole for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Triton Financial Classic.
David Eger birdied 17 and 18 for a 66; Michael McCullough followed at 67.
Footnotes.
Richie Ramsay of Scotland shot a 4-under 67 to take the second-round lead at the Wales Open in Newport. Ramsay was at 7-under 135 and leads Robert Rock (68) and Ross Fisher (66) of England by a stroke.
• The U.S. Open will return to Oakmont Country Club in suburban Pittsburgh in 2016, nine years after the national championship was last played there.
• The purse for the St. Jude Championship has been lowered $500,000 because the PGA Tour event no longer has a title sponsor.
The Associated Press
