Friday, July 12, 2019
CHAMPIONS TOUR
Stricker has leads at suspended SPC
AKRON
Steve Stricker topped the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship leaderboard at 5 under with a hole to play Thursday when the first round was suspended for the day because of lightning and rain.
Coming off a victory two weeks ago in the U.S. Senior Open at Norte Dame, Stricker had a hole-in-one on the 184-yard, par-3 seventh at Firestone Country Club.
Play was suspended at 12:55 p.m., and called for the day at 5:05 p.m. after just over an inch of rain soaked the course. Stricker was in the middle of the 18th fairway, facing a 140-yard shot on the par-4 hole, when play was stopped. He was set to resume play at 7 a.m. Friday.
“Bummed that we didn’t get to finish because that meant we could have slept in a little bit tomorrow, and then now we’ll have to get out here just to hit that shot,” Stricker said. “Hopefully, just one putt. And then we won’t tee off until 1 p.m. Maybe go back and I don’t know what we’ll do — kill time, eat breakfast a few times or something. Yeah, it would have been nice to finish.”
Paul Goydos was second at 2 under after five holes.
Ken Duke shot a 1-under 69. John Daly (8 holes), Jay Haas (15 holes), Duffy Waldorf (12 holes), Wes Short (10 holes), Miguel Angel Jimenez (8 holes), Lee Janzen (5 holes), Corey Pavin (5 holes) and Bart Bryant (3 holes) also were 1 under.
Bernhard Langer was even par after six holes. He won the tournament three straight times from 2014 through 2016.
PGA TOUR
Diaz shoots 62 to take Deere lead
SILVIS, Ill.
Roberto Diaz shot a 9-under 62 on Thursday to take the first-round lead in the John Deere Classic.
Playing in the final group of the day off the first tee, the 32-year-old Mexican player birdied four of the first five holes, eagled the par-5 10th and birdied three of the last five in the bogey-free round at TPC Deere Run. He took the lead with a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 16th.
Americans Adam Long and Russell Henley were two strokes back. Martin Laird was another stroke back at 65 with Ryan Palmer, Andrew Landry, Vaughn Taylor, Zack Sucher and Ryan Blaum.
LPGA TOUR
Sharp, Chun lead Marathon Classic
SYLVANIA
Alena Sharp of Canada and Youngin Chun of South Korea shared the Marathon Classic lead at 7-under 64 on Thursday, a stroke ahead of Stacy Lewis and three others at Highland Meadows Golf Club.
The 38-year-old Sharp, winless on the LPGA Tour, had eight birdies and a bogey.
The 19-year-old Chun, also seeking her first LPGA Tour victory, had a bogey-free round.
Lewis won the last of her 12 LPGA Tour titles in 2017. She was born in nearby Toledo and has an endorsement deal with Marathon Oil.
Associated Press