There was briefly high cause for concern as an ambulance arrived at Riviera Country Club shortly after Tiger Woods had withdrawn citing illness, and it was confirmed that he ambulance was indeed intended for the 15-time major champion.
However, Woods, who’d completed just six holes of his second round when he pulled the plug, was reportedly suffering flu-like symptoms and was heavily dehydrated. According to Rob McNamara from TGR Ventures, he’d been suffering through the night and worse in the morning but had begun to improve when put on a IV drip by the medical staff, meaning the ambulance wasn’t required. It was not, McNamara added, anything to do with his back.
Meanwhile, back on the course, things improved mightily for the Irish in attendance who’d both ended day one tied for 66th in the 70-man field.
Rory McIlroy was among the early starters in round two, and there were no signs of the sloppiness that lead to him dropping seven shots over the closing seven holes on day one. A tap in birdie at one was followed by another at three as he signalled his intent early on, but seven successive pars followed without any really good birdie looks, until he reached the par-5 11th.
Missing a short four-footer for birdie here on day one is when the oil began leaking, but there would be no such repeat on day two as his towering iron was right on line, leaving himself nine feet for eagle and he duly dispatched to move to -4 for the day. He’d par the remainder save for the par-5 17th, when, having again found the putting surface in two, he’d lag superbly from almost 60 feet and tap in to move to -5 on the day and -2 for the tournament, ending the day T31 on the board.
Starting from the same score as McIlroy at +3, Seamus Power knew he’d need to shoot at least two-under and probably three if he was to push his way into the top 50. And after seven holes he’d done just that, making birdie at one, three and seven, before reeling off seven successive pars on the holes following. He’d drop a shot on the par-4 15th to leave himself straddling the cut line once more, but another birdie at 17 gave him some breathing space and he safely made par at the last to card a three-under 68 and get into the clubhouse at level-par, tied for 42nd.
It’s increasingly looking like a one-horse race at the sharp end of the leaderboard, however, as Patrick Cantlay, who ended day one in sole possession of the lead, backed up his opening 64 with a second-round 65 to open up a five-stroke lead after 36 holes.
Cantlay eagled the first and never looked back, birdieing an additional four with no dropped shots to sit on -13, with the trio of Luke List, Jason Day and Mackenzie Hughes his closest challengers at -8.
“Yeah, we’re half done,” Cantlay said afterwards. “Stay in the moment and trust the process that I have. I have a good game plan for this golf course and I’ll just stick to it.
“Yeah, putting great and leaving the golf ball in the right spot, which is really key around here. It’s a golf course I’m really comfortable on and it’s in the best shape I’ve ever seen it. Yeah, it’s been great to play this week.”
Cantlay is a native of Southern California and has a strong following of support this week, and also has the advantage of being a former UCLA student where he played the course an estimated 25 times throughout his college years.
“Yeah, it feels like a home game,” he said. “Like I said, it’s a golf course I played so many times, I feel comfortable. And it’s really nice to have a bunch of guys up from Virginia Country Club where I grew up just down the road.”
Jordan Spieth, who’d been playing in the same group as Cantlay and was one of his closest challengers after day one, will not be around for the weekend after the three-time major winner was DQ’d for signing an incorrect scorecard.
Spieth had shot a two-over 73 so had fallen well off the pace anyway, but mistakenly put down a ‘three’ when he’d actually made ‘four’ on the fourth hole and, having signed his card and left the scoring hut, was disqualified as per the rules of golf.
“Today, I signed for an incorrect scorecard and stepped out of the scoring area, after thinking I went through all procedures to make sure it was correct,” he wrote on ‘X’. “Rules are rules, and I take full responsibility. I love this tournament and golf course as much as any on PGA Tour so it hurts to not have a run at the weekend. Really appreciated the support in LA.”
One of the highlights of the day came from sponsor’s invite Will Zalatoris, who aced the par-3 14th, earning himself not one but two Genesis cars in addition.
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