LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bae Sang-moon is off to another great start at the Northern Trust Open. The next step is a better finish.
Bae played bogey-free Friday on another gorgeous day at Riviera for a 5-under 66, giving him a one-shot lead over Aaron Baddeley and Robert Garrigus going into the weekend.
Baddeley, who hasn’t won since Riviera three years ago, birdied his last four holes for a 65. Garrigus played in the afternoon, when it’s a little more difficult to make putts, and managed just fine with a 67.
Bae was at 9-under 133.
The 27-year-old South Korean was tied for the lead going into the weekend at Riviera last year. Bae struggled to a 76 in the third round and never got back into contention. He wound up winning the Byron Nelson Championship a few months later for his first PGA Tour victory.
And while Bae is in the lead, the tournament remains wide open, with 22 players separated by five shots. One of them is Dustin Johnson, who led after the first round and opened with two quick birdies. Johnson never made any more progress, however. He dropped shots on the 12th and 15th holes to negate a few more birdies, and missed several good looks inside 12 feet. He had to settle for a 70 and was three behind at 6-under 136.
Also three shots out of the lead was Jim Furyk, who had a 68.
WOMEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall had a hole-in-one and finished with a 7-under 65 to take the second-round lead in the Women’s Australian Open.
The Solheim Cup star aced the 160-yard, par-3 16th, eagled the par-5 eighth after hitting to 4 feet and had five birdies and two bogeys at Victoria Golf Club to reach 11-under 133, one shot ahead of second-ranked Suzann Pettersen of Norway. Pettersen, the first-round leader after a 66, had a 68.
Australian amateur Minjee Lee was 9 under after a 67. The 17-year-old Lee was second behind Cheyenne Woods last week in the Australian Ladies Masters.
Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist had the round of the day, a 64 that broke the course record for women. She was tied for fourth at 8 under with 16-year-old New Zealander Lydia Ko and England’s Holly Clyburn.
Ko and Clyburn shot 68.
Woods, Tiger Woods’ niece, was tied for 20th at 5 under. She followed her opening 74 with a 65.
ACE GROUP CLASSIC
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Defending champion Bernhard Langer shot an 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the ACE Group Classic.
Langer birdied three of his first holes in his bogey-free round on TwinEagles’ Talon Course. The 56-year-old German star won the 2011 tournament and finished second behind Kenny Perry in 2012. Langer won the season-opening event in Hawaii last month for his 19th Champions Tour title.
Bob Tway was second. He birdied his last three holes, making a 60-foot putt on No. 8.
Olin Browne opened with a 66, and Duffy Waldorf and Kirk Triplett shot 67. Waldorf is coming off a playoff loss to Michael Allen on Sunday in Boca Raton in the Allianz Championship. Allen had a 68.
AFRICA OPEN
EAST LONDON, South Africa (AP) - American John Hahn had an eagle and six birdies on his final nine for a 10-under 61 and a two-stroke lead in the Africa Open.
Hahn had a 16-under 126 at East London, at 6,571 yards the shortest course on the European Tour. Portugal’s Ricardo Santos was second after a 66.
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