While he didn’t match Thursday’s torrid pace, J.B. Holmes played well enough to remain in front at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. Here’s how things look after two days at Trump National Doral, where Holmes’ advantage has been trimmed to two shots:
Leaderboard: J.B. Holmes (-9), Ryan Moore (-7), Adam Scott (-6), Bubba Watson (-4), Henrik Stenson (-4), Ryan Palmer (-3), Dustin Johnson (-3), Alexander Levy (-3)
What it means: Holmes nearly tied the course record with a 62 in the opening round, but he found water on two of his first three holes Friday. His tee shot into the lake on No. 18 was his fourth water ball of the day and it led to a closing double bogey, but despite a 2-over 74 he still holds a two-shot lead heading into the weekend as he looks to claim his first WGC title.
Round of the day: Scott is making his first start of the year - and his first start in years without his traditional broomstick putter - but the Aussie had no issues in the second round. Scott began with four birdies in his first eight holes and made six on the day, carding a 4-under 68 to move into third place.
Best of the rest: Joost Luiten was near the bottom of the standings after an opening 79, but the Dutchman rebounded impressively with a 3-under 69. Luiten dropped his only shot of the day on No. 2 and added five birdies, including four in a seven-hole stretch from Nos. 10-16 to claw back to the middle of the pack at 4 over.
Biggest disappointment: Rickie Fowler grabbed a spot on the early leaderboard with an opening-round 68, but he was nine shots worse on Friday despite somewhat calmer conditions. Fowler countered a pair of birdies with five bogeys and a double bogey, and at 1 over he now trails Holmes by 10 shots heading into the third round.
Main storyline heading into Saturday: Holmes began to wobble in the third round and saw his lead cut in half; Saturday will provide another test of his mettle. The veteran last won at the Wells Fargo Championship in May, and he’ll need to fend off a chase pack that includes Scott, Watson and Stenson - three of the top five players in the world.
Shot of the day: Watson hit his approach from 225 yards on the par-5 eighth hole to within two feet. It led to his second eagle of the week, and was the first of two eagles he would make during the round en route to a 3-under 69.
Quote of the day: “It felt good at the time, but right now I regret it.” - Rory McIlroy, who threw his 3-iron into a lake on No. 8 while shooting a 2-under 70 in the second round.
