PALM HARBOR, Fla. — 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 in a second round that was without a bogey and without much stress. He wound up with a 5-under 66 on Friday at the Tampa Bay Championship that left him one shot behind 31-year-old rookie Shawn Stefani.
Stefani had to scramble more than he would have preferred, though he converted all the putts he felt he was supposed to make in his round of 70.
Temperatures finally began to warm, and without much wind throughout the day, the tournament was wide open going into the weekend. 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.
It was the highest score to lead at Innisbrook in five years.
Scott was right in the middle of it all, which is where he wants to be.
The Australian hasn’t shown too many scars from making bogeys on the last four holes to lose the British Open last summer. He finished the year by winning the Australian Masters, though it was a month later when he was working on his game at home on the Gold Coast that he experienced a significant turnaround with his short game.
“Just had a really nice feeling going that day, whatever it was, and I managed to get through the whole shag bag of balls hitting every chip the same," he said. “Everything was very controlled and consistent. ... I’ve felt my confidence grow on the course with the pitching and chipping."
John Daly registered his 15th score of 10 or higher on a hole in his PGA Tour career when he twice tried to get out of the trees, took two penalty drops and made what he called a “beautiful chip" to get up-and-down from 30 yards on the par-4 third hole. He made a 10 and had an 81.
Also on Friday:
Lee leads LPGA Founders Cup: PHOENIX — 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. Lee had a bogey-free 8-under 64 to reach 15-under 129 and break the tournament 36-hole record. Third-ranked Stacy Lewis, coming off a victory two weeks ago in Singapore, was four strokes back after a 65.
Frost on top at Toshiba Classic: NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — 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. 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.
Two tied in India: GREATER NOIDA, India — Chapchai Nirat and Liang Wenchong each shot a 6-under 66 to tie for the lead after the second round of the Avantha Masters, two strokes ahead of four others.
