AKRON, Ohio — Another day of soft conditions Friday at Firestone wasn’t enough for Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy or anyone else to catch three leaders going into the weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational.
PGA champion Justin Thomas (64) and the English duo of Tommy Fleetwood (63) and Ian Poulter (67) set the pace to share the lead at 11-under 129, with no indication Firestone is going to get much tougher.
McIlroy hit a tee shot from the 17th tee that landed closer to the 16th fairway. He hit into a bunker and holed out for the start of a birdie-birdie finish and a 67 that left him three behind.
Woods stuffed a tee shot to 2 feet on the 12th hole to get within four shots, then played the last six holes in 1 over for a 68. He was five behind.
“The golf course is playing very soft, very receptive,” said Woods. “And when you’re able to hit 5-irons and they only roll out about a foot, the guys are going to put up good scores. There’s 40-plus guys under par. That’s never the case here at Firestone. So (Saturday) is going to be one of those days I’m going to have to go out there and post a low one and see what happens.”
LPGA: Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand, the 97th-ranked player, has yet to drop a shot in two straight rounds of 5-under 67 at Lytham St. Annes, England, and will take a one-stroke lead into the weekend of the Women’s British Open, the year’s fourth major.
It’s given her a great chance of winning a first major title, and claiming a first victory on the Tour. Her last win was on the Asian Tour in January 2015. She has one top-10 finish all year.
CHAMPIONS: Jerry Smith made three late birdies in a bogey-free 8-under 64 at Blaine, Minnesota, for a two-shot lead at the 3M Championship.
Smith birdied three of the four holes around the turn. He added three straight birdies on Nos. 6-8. His best finish this year is seventh at the Boca Raton Championship in February, his only top-10 of the season.
EUROPEAN: Ben Campbell of New Zealand shot a 6-under 66 to take a four-stroke lead after two rounds of the Fiji International at Sigatoka, Fiji.
Campbell is 11-under, four ahead of Andrew Dodt of Australia, who shot a 70.
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