Kaymer leads Spieth at Sawgrass
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — So much for that Masters hangover for Jordan Spieth.
In his first big tournament since the 20-year-old Texan tied for second at Augusta National, Spieth had another bogey-free round Friday in The Players Championship and shot a 6-under 66 to trail Martin Kaymer by one shot going into the weekend.
Kaymer tied the course record with a 63 in the opening round — becoming the first player with a 29 on either nine — and his encore wasn’t too shabby. He treated the second round like a fresh start, lowered his expectations and capped off his 3-under 69 with a pitching wedge to 4 feet on an island green with a back pin on the 17th hole.
The 29-year-old German was at 12-under 132. That matched the best 36-hole score on the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass in 20 years, dating to Greg Norman’s record-setting performance. Norman made only one bogey that week.
Adam Scott, in his first tournament as a married man, kept alive his hopes of going to No. 1 in the world this week with three birdies in his last four holes for a 67. That was a 10-shot improvement from Thursday and enabled him to make the cut on the number at even-par 144.
Rory McIlroy shot 42 on the front nine and appeared headed home early until making birdie on the 18th hole to salvage a 74 to make the cut.
Not so fortunate was Phil Mickelson. He missed his birdie attempt on No. 18 and had a 70 to miss by one. Mickelson now has missed the cut in the two biggest events of the year — the Masters and The Players.
Nadal reaches Madrid semifinals
MADRID — Defending champion Rafael Nadal gave his clay-court doldrums a boost by reaching the Madrid Open semifinals on Friday with a dominant performance against Thomas Berdych.
In the women’s tournament, two-time defending champion Serena Williams withdrew with a leg injury, while Maria Sharapova ousted Li Na in the quarterfinals.
The top-ranked Nadal had lost his previous two quarterfinal matches on clay for his worst run on the surface in a decade. But buoyed on by a partisan crowd, Nadal overpowered Berdych 6-4, 6-2 to advance at the Magic Box.
Nadal faces countryman Roberto Bautista Agut after the 45th-ranked player beat Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-4. David Ferrer followed Bautista Agut’s victory with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Ernests Gulbis to become the third Spaniard in the semis.
Kei Nishikori prevented an all-Spanish lineup in the final four by beating Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-4 in the late match. The win also ensures that he will become the first Japanese player to break into the top 10 when the new world rankings are released on Monday.
By wire sources