MIAMI — Five days after clinching his 12th PGA Tour victory, red-hot Adam Scott charged into the second-round lead at the WGC-Cadillac Championship Friday.
The Australian, who won the Honda Classic last Sunday, birdied three of his final four holes at the difficult Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral Resort to complete a six-under-par 66 for a 36-hole total of 10-under 134.
Scott is two shots in front of fellow long-hitters Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson.
“There is momentum and it’s a huge factor,” Scott told Golf Channel. “The trick is to figure out how to use it, how to maintain it and keep it going from week to week.
“So far this week I’ve done a good job. Now the weekend is a different animal. The leaderboard looks great. It’s going to be exciting and at the moment the course is producing good scores. I might have to keep it going at this same pace.”
Scott, 35, made eight birdies and two bogeys and saiid he fed off the terrific play of playing partner Johnson. The American posted the low round of day at 64 thanks to a scorching, five-under tour of the back nine.
“I’ve been playing really well,” said Johnson, who opened with a 72. World No. 3 McIlroy required only 23 putts in his second-round 65, using 10 fewer putts than Thursday.
The Northern Irishman altered his putting grip earlier this week from conventional to left-hand low and the move reaped dividends in the second round.
“It’s felt really comfortable, it really has,” McIlroy said. American Phil Mickelson was in the lead at nine-under with four successive birdies from the fifth hole, but he gave those shots back with two bogeys and a double-bogey in his final six holes to register a 72 to sit at five-under tied for seventh with England’s Paul Casey.
Englishman Danny Willet was alone in fourth place at seven-under after a 69, one stroke ahead of double Masters winner Bubba Watson and Charley Hoffman.
World No. 1 Jordan Spieth was tied for 12th at three-under after a 72.
Jang takes 1-stroke lead
South Korea’s Jang Ha-na shot a flawless 4-under 68 Saturday to grab a one-stroke lead heading into the final round of the HSBC Women’s Champions Golf Tournament in Singapore.
Chasing her second LPGA title this year, the 23-year-old racked up four birdies and her second straight bogey-free round to lead the tournament on 12-under 204 then headed back to the practice range for some more golf.
“My nickname is Enjoy Ha Na, Energizer Ha Na,” Jang told reporters. “It’s really good my nickname. I want to show every day, I enjoy playing golf.”
Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum knocked in six birdies in her 68 to end the third round in outright second at 11-under, one clear of the South Korean pair of Amy Yang and Mirim Lee.
Yang reeled off five birdies in her last eight holes for a 68 to charge up the leaderboard while the overnight co-leader Lee signed for a 70 after a mixed day where she made five birdies and three bogeys.
Yang has a knack for stringing birdies together. Last year, she birdied every hole on the back nine at a tournament in South Korea and thought it was only a matter of time before her putts started to drop at the Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore.
A group of six players finished two shots behind them at 8-under, setting the stage for an exciting finish on Sunday with the top 10 separated by just four strokes.
