The Daily Wrap-up, Friday: Northern Trust Open
By Staff and Wire Reports
LOS ANGELES -- Dustin Johnson made a hole-in-one and Steve Stricker had seven birdies to brighten an otherwise dreary day at rainy Riviera and finish atop the leaderboard Friday at the Northern Trust Open.
Johnson's 8-iron from 152 yards landed between the pin and the famous bunker in the middle of the green at No. 6, spinning back into the cup for an ace that put him in the lead for most of the afternoon. He had two holes left when play was halted by darkness.
Stricker, playing in a morning rain that never relented, chipped in for birdie on the 18th and nearly made an ace on No. 4 when his hybrid from 230 yards lipped out. He shot a 6-under 65 and had the clubhouse lead.
"I'm very happy to be done with the round, to tell you the truth," said Stricker, who was at 10-under 132. "It was pretty miserable out there today."
Johnson, also 10 under after making his lone bogey on the 15th, was to return Saturday to face the par-5 17th and the 473-yard closing hole at Riviera, which was playing so long in the cold and rain that some players barely reached the green with a 3-wood.
Johnson and Stricker were three shots clear of Andres Romero, who had three holes remaining. Forty-one players failed to finish the second round.
Phil Mickelson, trying to become the first player to win three straight years at Riviera, had a 66 and was at 4-under 138.
Darkness came early because of the gray clouds, and completing the second round in such conditions was impossible. Players had to spend extra time on every shot to wipe off the grips of their clubs and the brims of their hats. Late in the day, the maintenance crew had to roll water off the soaked tee boxes.
That made the performance of Stricker and Johnson even more remarkable.
"Dustin Johnson is 11 under," Paul Goydos said in amazement as he walked off the 11th tee. "That's like being 47 under through three rounds at the Hope."
Ahead of him was Stephen Ames, bundled in rain gear and making light of the gloomy conditions.
"I don't play golf for money. I play golf for fun," Ames said, breaking into a smile. "And this is not fun."
Johnson, who opened with a 64 for a one-shot lead, caught the brunt of the weather. Temperatures dipped into the 50s, and with the steady rain and soaked conditions, some players couldn't carry their tee shots much more than 225 yards.
"I don't like it, but do I mind playing in it? No," Johnson said. "Everyone has got to play in it. Hitting it a long way helps, too, because the course is by far the longest I've ever seen this course play."
How long?
Stricker chipped in from 60 feet for birdie on the 18th, after hitting a driver and a 3-wood to the edge of the green. Most players were hitting an 8-iron or 9-iron in sunny conditions on Thursday. Johnson usually can reach the 583-yard 11th hole with a big drive and a 3-iron. He hit a big drive Friday, then crushed a 3-wood and still had 100 yards left.
Johnson hit a punch wedge to 6 feet and missed the birdie putt. What kept him atop the leaderboard were the par putts he made around that, from a 15-footer on No. 10 to an 18-footer on the 12th, and a 6-foot par save on the 13th.
They were important, just not nearly as thrilling as No. 6. Johnson is not one to get excited, and explained his ace thusly: "Probably my best shot of the day. Hit 8-iron and made it."
If anyone can handle the rain, leave it to Johnson. He won at Pebble Beach last year when the tournament was cut to 54 holes because of rain, and at Turning Stone in 2008, which was slowed by rain early in the tournament.
The forecast was for more rain overnight, and throughout Saturday.
Stricker, the runner-up at Riviera last year, left the course with no idea when he would hit his next shot. He was four shots ahead of anyone who had finished the second round, with Kevin Stadler (71) and Tim Wilkinson (67) at 6-under 136.
Stricker played in the same group with Anthony Kim, who drove onto the par-4 10th green to open his round and managed eight birdies in his round of 66 to finish at 5-under 137, along with Steve Marino (67) and Ricky Barnes (71).
Despite a few wild tee shots, including one that landed next to the media center between the first and second fairways, Mickelson got back in the game with a 66 after starting the day in a tie for 83rd.
"I'm in a position where a good round tomorrow and I can get in contention for Sunday, so that's where I wanted to get myself," said Mickelson, who is trying to become the first player to win three straight years at Riviera.
Even though Stricker scored well, rain isn't much fun for anyone.
"It's tough to make a regular swing," Stricker said. "You've got a lot of clothes on, you're wet. It's just not as easy swinging on a day like today compared to a 70-degree, sunny day. A good short game and patience is key."
Stricker is loaded with both of them, which came in handy on a rainy day off Sunset Boulevard.
DIVOTS: Rickie Fowler will miss the cut for the third time in four starts. His other finish was a tie for fifth last week at Torrey Pines. ... Padraig Harrington, in his first tournament of the year, was 2 over with two holes to play. He was on the par-5 17th, where he hit a tee shot that went only 204 yards.
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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Mark Carnevale offers these observations from Friday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.
I was watching Michael Allen during his second round and noticed he was not putting with a long putter. According to Allen's caddie, Mike Maroney, Allen made the switch at the beginning of this season. Allen had used a long putter for years, but since making the change this year, Allen tied for 25th at the Bob Hope Classic, tied for fifth at the Farmers Insurance Open and was third in his lone Champions Tour start. This week, Allen is 3 under after rounds of 69 and 70. His putting stats so far this year: tied for 35th in putting average, 30th in overall putting average, 26th in one-putt percentage, 13th in putting from 10-15 feet and tied for 14th in putts from 15-20 feet. I'd say Allen made the right move.
Great job by the maintenance staff. Riviera Country Club took almost an inch of water during the second round, but you could hardly tell. The only issue I saw was some puddling in the bunkers. Hopefully we will get a break in the forecast and give them a break on the weekend.
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