SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Mark Wilson charged and Camilo Villegas faltered. The result Friday was a two-way tie for the lead at 11-under-par 131 halfway through the Phoenix Open.
Wilson birdied the last four holes for a 5-under 66, while Villegas bogeyed No. 18 when he missed a 14-foot putt for par. The 28-year-old Colombian settled for a 69 after tying the tournament first-round record with a 9-under 62 on Thursday.
Eleven players were within two shots of the lead at TPC Scottsdale, where a crowd estimated at 101,709 attended the second round under thinly overcast conditions.
Anthony Kim (65), Ryan Moore (66) and Rickie Fowler (67) were 10-under.
Tom Lehman, nine days shy of his 51st birthday, had a 67 to top a group of six at 9-under. Play was suspended because of darkness with one player, Matt Every, still on the course. He had a 3-footer for a birdie that would put him at 9-under.
Wilson, who said he was ill early in the week after returning from the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Cancun, Mexico, considers himself the bland one among those at the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m not a flashy player. . . . I see Anthony and Rickie and Camilo up there and they’re all very flamboyant characters, and it’s fun to watch them,” Wilson said. “So I’ll be somewhat of a spectator too, but certainly taking care of my own business.”
Villegas, who mixed three bogeys with an eagle and three birdies, insisted he was satisfied with his second round.
“Am I disappointed the fact I didn’t go low-low today? No,” Villegas said. “You just want to stay in the tournament.”
Stanford, Kim share HSBC Champions lead
SINGAPORE — Angela Stanford shot a 1-under 71 for a share of the lead with Song-Hee Kim after the second round of the HSBC Champions.
Stanford, a former TCU star who has four LPGA Tour victories, and Kim (70) had 5-under 139 totals on Tanah Merah’s Garden Course during another hot, windy day where the temperature reached 94 degrees.
Hall of Famer Juli Inkster (70) was a stroke back along with Ai Miyazato (71), Suzann Pettersen (70), Hee-Won Han (67) and Sun Young Yoo (70).
Cristie Kerr (73) trailed by two strokes, while Karrie Webb was another shot back after a 72.
Top-ranked Lorena Ochoa, tied for the first-round lead after a 68, had a 79 to drop eight strokes back at 3-over.
The Associated Press
