Adam Scott had a breakthrough with his short game this winter, and it’s so good now that he hardly even has to use it.
Scott had a putt for birdie on 16 holes Friday in the second round of the Tampa Bay Championship in Palm Harbor, Fla. He shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 that left him one shot behind the leader, 31-year-old rookie Shawn Stefani.
Stefani had to scramble for his round of 1-under 70 while temperatures finally began to warm. With the wind down, the tournament was wide open. Stefani was at 7-under 135, one shot ahead of Scott and past champion K.J. Choi, who had a 67.
Twenty players were within five shots of the lead at the halfway point, a group that included everyone from Sergio Garcia and Matt Kuchar, to 19-year-old Jordan Spieth and Erik Compton, the two-time heart transplant recipient whose 65 was the low round of the day.
LPGA LEADER TORRID
Jee Young Lee birdied three of the last four holes to take a one-stroke lead over Ai Miyazato on another hot day at the LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix.
Lee had a bogey-free 8-under 64 to reach 15-under 129. She broke the tournament 36-hole record of 12 under set by Angela Stanford in 2011.
Third-ranked Stacy Lewis, coming off a victory two weeks ago in Singapore, was four strokes back in third after a 65. Lewis has a chance to take the top spot in the world from Yani Tseng with a victory.
FROST LEADS COUPLES
David Frost shot an 8-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead over Fred Couples after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Toshiba Classic in Newport Beach, Calif.
Frost had eight birdies in his bogey-free round, four on the first five holes on the back nine and another on the par-5 closing hole.
Couples had seven birdies and a bogey. He’s playing his second senior event and third overall tournament of the year after cutting his schedule to make sure he’s healthy for the Masters. He made six putts from 15 feet or longer, including a 50-footer for birdie on No. 7.
ELSEWHERE
John Daly, who shot an 81 and missed the cut at Tampa Bay, had a 10 on the third hole, his 15th career score in double figures. … Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and China’s Liang Wenchong shot 6-under 66 to share the second-round lead in the Avantha Masters in Greater Noida, India. … Australia’s Scott Strange leads the Thailand Open in Bangkok after a 7-under 65.
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