PALM HARBOR, Florida — Defending champion Paul Casey and American Austin Cook will go into the third round of the Valspar Championship in Florida one shot ahead of the chasing pack after the early starters posted a six-under 136 total Friday.
Englishman Casey shot 66, one better that Cook, in the second round at Palm Harbor before the Florida breezes kicked up and the greens became trickier.
Luke Donald (70) had threatened to finish the leader, moving ahead by one with four holes to play, but two bogeys coming home left him in a three-way tie for third alongside Scott Stallings (68) and Im Sung-jae (67)
Another shot back was world No. 1 Dustin Johnson with a second consecutive 69 leaving him in a three-way tie for sixth with Australian Curtis Luck (68) and first-round co-leader Joel Dahmen (72).
Scotland’s Russell Knox, tied for third after the first round, barely made the cut after soaring from a 67 on Thursday to a 76 in windy conditions Friday.
Australian Jason Day did fall over the cut line as the world number 12’s 71 was not enough to overcome an opening 74. He ended on three-over par 145, two shots over the line.
Elvira takes lead
Spain’s Nacho Elvira took a two-shot lead over American David Lipsky after the third round of the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur on a hot and humid Saturday to move one step closer to his first European Tour title.
Back-to-back birdies on the final two holes and five birdies before that gave Elvira a six under-par 66 in the third round at the Saujana Golf and Country Club. 2017 runner-up Lipsky and Australian Scott Hend carded 67s.
Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Hend were tied for the third spot, three strokes behind Elvira.
Former world No. 1 Ernie Els is four strokes behind Elvira. The South African is tied for sixth with Frenchman Benjamin Hebert, whose seven-under 65 was the lowest round of the day.
Park, Liu ahead
China’s Liu Yu made the most of her early morning start, firing an eight-under par 64 Friday to join world No. 1 Park Sung-hyun atop the leaderboard of the LPGA Founders Cup.
Liu matched France’s Celine Boutier for low round of the tournament to seize a share of the halfway lead on 12-under par 132.
South Korea’s Park posted her second straight 66 at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix, Arizona.
She and Liu were two strokes clear of a group of eight players on 10-under 134 that included overnight leader Boutier as well as former world number one Lydia Ko of New Zealand.
They were joined by Americans Angel Yin and Cheyenne Knight, Sweden’s Linnea Strom, That group is headlined by top-15 players Amy Yang of South Korea and Lydia Ko of New Zealand. It also includes Boutier, Americans Angel Yin and Cheyenne Knight, Sweden’s Linnea Strom, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen and South Korean Hur Mi-jung.
Defending champion Park In-bee of South Korea headed a group of five players on 135. — Agencies
