Matt Kuchar extends lead in second round of The Barclays: Highlights
Opening event of the FedExCup Championship, The Barclays is now through the halfway mark with Matt Kuchar still at the top after consecutive days of brilliant scoring. The organisers have now announced that the event will be curtailed to 54 holes in wake
of the brewing Hurricane Irene which is likely to hit the Plainfield Country Club on Sunday, August 28.
Kuchar, who had a remarkable run on the opening day where he carded eight birdies to stay clear of the field, pulled in another dazzling round on Friday, carding six-under, 65. He is now one shot clear of the fast approaching, Dustin Johnson.
Kuchar said, “The best players generally come out winners after 72, so for me, I feel like the more golf we play, the better my chances. But given the situation, I love being on top of the leaderboard with 18 holes to go.”
Kuchar, who is the defending champion of the Barclays, seems to have hit an unusual liking for the course and has dropped just one shot in the 36-hole stretch so far. He carded six birdies and did not drop a shot to post an aggregate score of 14-under, 128.
Kuchar, who won the Barclays last year on a sudden death Playoff, later went all the way to finish for a runner- up at the culmination of the championship.
Although, the sturdy American has not won an event so far for the season, he has posted eight top-ten finishes with a runner-up spot at Memorial. He has played consistently well and is definitely aiming to bag the title again near the end of the season.
Dustin Johnson, the runner-up at the Open Championship this year, is gradually building up pressure to throw himself into contention in the third and final round on Saturday. He is now trailing Kuchar by one shot with an aggregate score of 13-under, 129.
Dustin carded a stunning round score of 63 to challenge Kuchar’s outright lead at the top, pulling in eight birdies in his bogey-free round. He is tied for a joint second alongside Fijian, Vijay Singh, who played brilliantly on the second day even after returning
to the course after a long break.
Johnson, who has stayed in contention in most of the high-profile events in the year but is yet to win one for the season, said, “There's no way I can say I'm disappointed by any means. I could have done a little better with the short game. But overall,
I mean a 63 is a 63. I'm going to be smiling.”
Singh, the distinguished Fijian, shot into contention with his second round score of 64 and is now tied for the second spot alongside Johnson, trailing the leader by one shot. American, Jonathan Byrd settled for an outright fourth after his second round
score of five-under, 66.
A group of four strong players is in contention for the fifth spot including Justin Rose, Padraig Harrington, Aaron Baddeley and Charley Hoffman, with their second round scores of 65, 67, 66 and 66, respectively.
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