Rain causes problems in Bahamas
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas — Heather Bowie Young made five straight birdies while jumping from one side of the golf course to the other. Silvia Cavalleri was hitting the ball so well Friday she was sorry the Bahamas Classic was held on only 12 holes.
The slogan for the LPGA Tour is, “See why it’s different out here.” Was it ever.
Bowie Young and Cavalleri were tied for the lead at 6-under 39, which by numbers alone broke the LPGA scoring record by 20 shots. Not to worry. Annika Sorenstam’s 59 in Phoenix in 2002 still stands as the lowest 18-hole score in LPGA history.
Severe flooding earlier in the week left much of the Ocean Club under water. The LPGA decided to use the holes that were available, and two of those holes had to be converted into par 3s because bunkers had caved in from a foot of rain that fell in a five-hour stretch Tuesday night.
The hope was to complete three rounds of 12 holes to make the inaugural Bahamas Classic official. On the LPGA Tour, 36 holes have to be completed for it to count. Even with a 12-hole, par-45 course, that was going to be a challenge because of a three-hour delay for lightning.
Twenty-seven players failed to finish the round.
Kuchar up by one at Colonial
FORT WORTH, Texas — Matt Kuchar was 10-under par on the 16th green when the second round of the Colonial was suspended because of an impending storm system.
There were 18 groups still on the course, three still with eight holes to play, when play was stopped at 6:38 p.m. The second round at Hogan’s Alley will be completed Saturday morning.
Kuchar, the WGC-Accenture Match Play winner in February, had a one-stroke lead over Graham DeLaet.
DeLaet, from Canada, who shot a 67 in a morning round completed before an 2-hour, 10-minute delay just after noon because of lightning.
First-round leader Ryan Palmer was still at 8 under after shooting even par on his 12 holes Friday. Jordan Spieth, Steve Flesch and Josh Teater finished at 8 under. Flesch had a 64, and Spieth and Teater shot 67.
Cochran, Perry tied at Senior PGA
ST. LOUIS — Russ Cochran and Kenny Perry each shot 5-under 66 at Bellerive Country Club to share the second-round lead in the Senior PGA Championship.
The longtime Kentucky friends were 7 under. They will play together for the third straight day Saturday.
Japan’s Kiyoshi Murota was two strokes back after a 70. Jay Haas and Duffy Waldorf, tied for the lead after the first round, matched Loren Roberts at 4 under. Roberts had a 68, and Haas and Waldorf shot 72.
The 54-year-old Cochran tied for seventh in the 1992 PGA Championship at Bellerive. The left-hander began play on the back nine and had five birdies in a span of six holes, peaking at 8 under before a bogey on No. 6.
The 52-year-old Perry had five birdies in a bogey-free round.
McIlroy misses cut at BMW PGA
VIRGINIA WATER, England — Rory McIlory was one of five 2012 European Ryder Cup players to miss the cut in the BMW PGA Championship, while Medinah teammate Francesco Molinari took the lead at cold and wet Wentworth.
The second-ranked McIlory had a 3-over 75 to finish at 5 over. Two-time defending champion Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Paul Lawrie — all members of Europe’s winning team last year at Medinah — also dropped out early. Molinari shot a 68 to take a one-stroke lead at 6 under.
South Africa’s George Coetzee, Scotland’s Marc Warren, England’s Mark Foster and Spain’s Alejandro Canizares were tied for second. Foster had a 69, and Coetzee, Warren and Canizares shot 70.
Sergio Garcia, the Spanish player whose verbal sparring with Tiger Woods turned ugly this week when he said he would “serve fried chicken” if he had dinner with Woods, was five strokes back after a 71.
From wire sources
