DUBLIN, Ohio — Steve Stricker holed out from the fairway for one of his two eagles Saturday, wound up with a 3-under-par 69 on a steamy afternoon at Muirfield Village and finished with a three-shot lead in the Memorial.
He still had to convince himself it was a good day.
Right when it looked as though Stricker might leave everyone in his wake, he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on the 14th hole that threw his round into reverse. He made bogey on the par-5 15th.
He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th, and had a 7-foot birdie on the next hole catch the lip. And when he arrived to his ball in the middle of the 18th fairway, it was right in the middle of a sand-filled divot.
Stricker managed to save par on the last hole, and perspective soon followed.
“All of a sudden, things seemed pretty hard, when at the start of the day, things were really going my way,” he said. “But I understand that, and I understand that’s the nature of this game. So you add them up at the end, and it was a 69. And it was a good score.”
The score that matters is 12-under 204, which was three shots clear of Jonathan Byrd, who also shot a 69.
Byrd’s only blunder came on the par-5 11th, where he made his only bogey in his last 43 holes.
Matt Kuchar was the only player who seemed capable of keeping up with Stricker in the early going, but he dropped two shots in his last four holes and had to settle for a 68. That put him in a tie for third with former Kent Denver standout Brandt Jobe (69), four shots behind.
Brooks holds slim Champions lead
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Mark Brooks survived a shaky finish that left him with a 4-under 67 and a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Principal Charity Classic.
Brooks, a Champions Tour rookie who began the day two strokes in front, salvaged a bogey on 18 after twice hitting into bunkers and finished 36 holes at 10-under 132. Mark Calcavecchia, playing in the same group as Brooks, closed with three straight pars after an eagle on 15 to wind up with a 66, putting him at 9-under. Peter Senior (67) and 2002 winner Bob Gilder (66) were at 8-under.
Birdie on the 18th leaves Kerr in front
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — Cristie Kerr birdied the final hole for a 6-under 65 and a one-shot lead over Catriona Matthew after the second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.
Kerr rolled in three of her eight birdies after making a double bogey on the 12th hole. Kerr capped the round with an 8-footer at the par-5 18th to put herself in position to win for the first time this year and for the 15th time in her LPGA career.
McDowell does a disappearing act
NEWPORT, Wales — Alexander Noren kept his lead at the Wales Open after a third round in which defending champion Graeme McDowell slumped to 11 strokes off the pace following a stunning collapse.
Noren shot par 71 after four birdies on the back nine to total 8-under 205, one shot ahead of Anders Hansen (66) and Peter Hanson (69).
McDowell shot an 81, sliding from a shot behind Noren on Friday to out of contention. The debacle comes just two weeks before he defends his U.S. Open title.
The Associated Press
