Written by
The Sports Network
Kapalua, HI (Sports Network) - Steve Stricker is playing his second straight
event as the highest-ranked player in the field.
And it showed on Saturday.
Stricker fired a 10-under 63 in the second round to grab a five-stroke lead
after two rounds of the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
"It was a good round, a good start. You know, we're halfway through. We've got
a long ways to go yet," Stricker said in a televised interview.
The Wisconsin native completed 36 holes at 15-under-par 131.
Stricker, the sixth-ranked player in the world, was also the highest ranked
player at the Chevron World Challenge in December. He struggled that week
finishing 16th in an 18-player field.
However, Stricker has burst out of the gates in 2012. He missed the Kapalua
course record by a single stroke and was two off the tournament's 36-hole
scoring mark thanks to a round with an eagle and eight birdies.
Webb Simpson, a two-time winner last year, posted his second straight 68 and
is alone in second place at minus-10.
Kevin Na was even-par through 26 holes, but played the next 10 holes in nine-
under par, including back-to-back eagles on 17 and 18. His nine-under 64 moved
Na into third place at nine-under-par 137.
First-round leader and defending champion Jonathan Byrd (71) and Martin Laird
(70) share fourth at minus-eight.
Stricker got his bogey-free round going with a five-foot birdie putt at the
third. He two-putted for birdie on the par-five fifth to grab a share of the
lead at seven-under.
After Simpson birdied the seventh to move ahead, Stricker matched him with a
birdie of his own at No. 7. Simpson slipped one back with a bogey at the
eighth, then Stricker took control.
Stricker, who has seven wins over the last three years, tapped in a three-
footer for birdie at nine and made it two in a row with a seven-footer at 10.
Armed with a three-stroke lead, Stricker parred the next three holes. After
Laird moved within two, Stricker drained a seven-foot birdie try on the 14th.
He followed with a 10-foot eagle effort on No. 15 to push his lead to four
over Na, who had a stellar finish.
Stricker wasn't finished either. Despite a long delay on No. 17 as Laird, his
playing partner, lost his tee shot and had to go back to the tee, Stricker
played the hole perfectly.
He found the short grass off the tee, then dropped his second shot within 13
feet of the cup. Stricker ran that putt in for birdie, and closed with a
three-foot birdie effort at the last to push his lead to five.
"Golf is never easy, but I had it going today," Stricker said on television.
"It's always fun when you get rounds like this going. I felt like I was going
to make every putt I looked at for a while. And I gave myself a lot of
opportunities, which is key."
Simpson did all of his scoring in bunches. He drained back-to-back birdie
tries at two and three. He traded a birdie for a bogey from the seventh.
The 26-year-old Simpson birdied three of the last four holes to jump into
second place.
Before Stricker grabbed his big lead, Na was the story with his stellar
finish. He bogeyed the fourth, but came right back with a birdie on No. 5.
From the ninth to the 15th, he had five birdies in that seven-hole span.
Na, who won in Las Vegas last year, holed out for eagle from over 200 yards on
the 17th. He found the green at the long, par-five 18th and poured in a 10-
footer for eagle to become the first player to finish eagle-eagle at Kapalua.
"That was exciting. That was a lot of fun," Na said in a TV interview. "I was
getting off to a slow start today. I birdied nine to get it under par, and
then all of a sudden, the back nine I started getting it together."
NOTES: Byrd is the only previous winner of this event in the field this
week...Just three players in 27-man field shot over par in round two...PGA
Champion Keegan Bradley, the lone reigning major champ in the field, managed a
one-under 72 and is tied for seventh at minus-five, while reigning FedExCup
champ Bill Haas is alone in 24th after a pair of even-par rounds...Rory
Sabbatini was assessed a two-stroke penalty for being late for his tee time,
but rallied for a three-under 70 Saturday.
The Sports Network