JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Phil Mickelson rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday to cap another big day for the Americans and set a record for the largest lead after two sessions in Presidents Cup history.
With an 8-2 lead, the Americans have a mathematical chance to clinch Saturday, which features four matches of foursomes in the morning and four matches of fourballs in the afternoon.
The Americans have a 9-1-1 lead in the series, their only loss coming in 1998 at Royal Melbourne. But it has at least been close after the opening two sessions, with neither side leading by more than two points since 1998.
Mickelson and Kevin Kisner never led against Jason Day and Marc Leishman until the par-3 18th hole. Mickelson poured in his birdie putt and Leishman missed his from about the same range.
Mickelson, who has played in all 12 Presidents Cups, has 24 match victories to tie the record set by Tiger Woods in eight appearances.
Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Hadwin were 2 up with four holes to play against Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed, and had to settle for a halve. Even that felt like a small victory for the International team because Spieth had birdie putts on the final two holes that narrowly missed.
Justin Thomas, already with a big year behind him as a major champion and the FedEx Cup champion, teamed with Rickie Fowler for another easy victory. They have trailed only one hole in their two matches, and became the first partnership to beat Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace.
They took the lead for good when Fowler made a 15-foot birdie putt on the third hole, then Thomas produced the loudest cheer of the day at a pivotal moment on the 14th hole. Oosthuizen hit his approach to 6 feet while both Americans missed the green. From the left bunker, Thomas blasted out perfectly and watched it drop in for a birdie that kept the International team from cutting the deficit to 1 down.
Thomas birdied the next hole.
The shortest match of the day belonged to a pair of American rookies, Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman, who sat out the foursomes matches in the opening session.
They were 3 up after four holes against Charl Schwartzel and Anirban Lahiri, and never let up in earning a 6-and-5 victory.
Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka, close friends and the last two U.S. Open champions, took their first lead on the par-3 10th with Koepka’s birdie, and Johnson showed rare emotion on his final two birdies in a 3-and-2 victory over Adam Scott and Jhonattan Vegas.
LPGA: Belen Mozo of Spain shot an 8-under 64, including a hole in one on the par-3 13th, to take a five-stroke lead after two rounds of the New Zealand Women’s Open at Auckland.
Mozo has a 14-under total of 130. Three golfers shared second – Emily Tubert of the United States, who shot 65, Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden (67) and Brooke Henderson of Canada (70), who was the co-leader after the opening round.
EUROPEAN: Tyrrell Hatton of England shot a 5-under 65 in miserable conditions in his second round to lead by three strokes at the British Masters at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England.
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