WGC Bridgestone Invitational: Second round highlights
Young American guns claimed the summit on the second day of the WGC Bridgestone Invitational, challenging the overnight leader Adam Scott for the top slot. Scott suffered a lopsided round on the second day, carding an even-par, 70 but his first round score
of eight-under, was good enough to help him stay in share of the lead for the coveted title.
Rickie Fowler, Keegan Bradley, and Ryan Moore all have soared to the top with their exceptional second rounds and are now resting on top with their aggregate of eight-under, 132 each.
Fowler, the Rookie of The Year in 2010, was not able to perform as good as on the previous day but still managed to pull in two-under, 68 to grab the lead through the halfway mark. He carded five birdies and dropped three shots against eight birdies and
an eagle on the first day. The rookie posted an opening round of six-under, 64 which helped him clinch the lead on the second day.
“A lot of good things came out of today,” said Fowler, who is still searching for his first win. “Building some confidence going into the weekend.”
Bradley, the winner of HP Byron Nelson for the current season, thoroughly enjoyed playing alongside his idols at the scenic Firestone Country Club. Bradley carded five birdies and dropped two shots on the second day against an unblemished score of five-under,
65 on the first day.
“I had Luke Donald behind me, Phil Mickelson a few groups behind me,” Bradley said. “I mean, it's something that I dream about since I was 2 years old. It's kind of happening in front of my eyes, which is a weird feeling to describe. But it's spectacular.
I just can't express how much fun I'm having out there.”
Mickelson had a disappointing second day at Firestone where he fell for a three-over, 73 against his solid first round performance of 67. Although well behind the lead now, Mickelson is not facing the threat of halfway cut since the format of the WGC Bridgestone
Invitational does not support one. Mickelson is coming out of his best finish ever in the Open Championship, where he settled for a second place behind champion Darren Clarke.
The Japanese blazing gun, Ryo Ishikawa has been toiling continuously to move up the ranks and has performed consistently well, carding opening rounds of 67 and 68. He is tied for fifth place alongside Nick Watney and Hennie Otto and will be hoping to win
the title to confirm his place in the upcoming PGA Championship in Atlanta.
Rory McIlroy, the reigning US champion, has also posted opening rounds of 68 on both days and is now settled for the 13th place along with seven other players.
An interesting bunch of players closed the second day for a joint 36th including Martin Kaymer, Bubba Watson and Tiger Woods after their rounds of 70, 70 and 71 on the second day. Clarke, the Open Championship winner, is at the bottom of the leaderboard
with his aggregate score of 11-over.
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