Defending champion Rory McIlroy walked out on his round and Tiger Woods rallied to make the cut, but Luke Guthrie showed his potential with a 7-under 63 for a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Guthrie played bogey-free. the Big Ten champion from Illinois finished with seven birdies and is at 9-under 131, a shot better than Michael Thompson.“I had no clue,” Guthrie said when told McIlroy quit after going 7-over through eight holes. “I was just kind of going about my business out there.”McIlroy made double bogey at No. 11, his second hole, and landed two balls in the water at No. 16 for triple bogey. He told reporters he was “not in a good place mentally” but later released a statement saying a sore wisdom tooth affected his concentration.McIlroy, who was seen eating a sandwich on the 18th fairway, handed his card to playing partner Ernie Els before Els and Mark Wilson even finished the hole.McIlroy, who was seen eating a sandwich on the 18th fairway, later apologized the tournament.Woods hovered around the cut line after a double bogey at No. 13. He finished the round with a birdie, par and two par saves to make it to Saturday.“I didn't quite have my game like I did yesterday,” Woods said. “I hit it much better yesterday, but I putted better today, so it all evened out.”Tennis star Serena Williams was in Woods’ gallery. Security admonished her for taking Woods’ picture — a fan no-no during PGA Tour rounds.“Apparently u can't take pics. This security ... yelled at me,” Williams tweeted.First-round leader Camilo Villegas went from first (64 on Thursday) to worst, shooting 13 shots worse with a 77 to miss the cut.Briefly • LPGA Tour: Stacy Lewis shot a 6-under 66 to take a two-shot lead into today’s third round of the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. Defending champion Angela Stanford of Saginaw shot a 76 for the second straight day and is tied for 59th. • Snedeker still out: Brandt Snedeker, the world’s No. 4-ranked player, is skipping the World Golf Championship at Doral to heal his sore ribs in time for the Masters. Snedeker had 10 straight rounds in the 60s and broke par in 33 of his last 37 rounds when he last played and won the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. • Lines drawn: International players support a proposal to outlaw anchored putting strokes more strongly than players in the United States, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club said Friday. The R&A and USGA proposed the rule Nov. 28. The 90-day comment period on the rule ended Thursday. • European Tour: Charl Coetzee of South Africa shot a 7-under 65 for a one-stroke clubhouse lead (12 under) before a thunderstorm halted the second round of the Tshwane Open in Centurion, South Africa. Chile’s Mark Tullo and South Africa’s Dawie Van Der Walt were 11-under. Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal needs to birdie one of two closing holes to make the cut.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
