Matt Kuchar has taken the lead at The Barclays, moving a shot clear with five holes to play in his second round of the FedExCup playoffs opener. Kuchar, the 2010 Barclays champion, completed just 13 holes around the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City on Friday but leads fellow Americans Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland, who sit on nine under after 36 holes. Simpson and Woodland are tied for second, while a group of four, including Australia&aposs Adam Scott and Justin Rose of England, are two shots further back at seven under overall. Rose has played 14 holes of his second round, while Scott, Keegan Bradley and Rickie Fowler are all seven under after two full rounds. Friday&aposs play started with around half of the field yet to complete their first round in New Jersey after heavy rain affected the opening day of competition. Simpson was one of those players and he completed 29 holes on Friday to reach the half-way point of the tournament at nine under. The 28-year-old notched a four-under first round of 67 and then went one better on his second, with six birdies on the run home to card a five-under 66. Woodland posted eight birdies in his second round to produce a seven-under 64, joining Simpson on nine under for the tournament. But Simpson and Woodland remain one shot adrift of Kuchar, who could extend his lead early on Saturday if he finishes his second round well. Kuchar has yet to drop a shot in his second round with birdies on the sixth, eighth, ninth, 10th and 13th holes taking him to five-under for the round and 10 under for the tournament. Bradley set a course record in the second round with a bogey-free eight-under 63, while Masters champion Scott posted three birdies, an eagle and a bogey on the run home to score 66 and take a share of fourth. Fowler was another big mover with a seven-under 64, while Rose could move even higher up the leaderboard as he has four holes to play in what has, so far, been a bogey-free four-under second round. Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods both sit five shots adrift of Kuchar but have to finish their second rounds. McIlroy has carded seven birdies and two bogeys to sit at five under for the round and the tournament with two holes to play in his second round, while Woods is one under through 13. In total, 39 players have yet to finish their second rounds. Matt Jones and Jason Day (three under) are the next best-placed Australians in the field.
Author: Omnisport