Tiger Woods in field for next week’s Honda Classic

Smith received encouragement from playing the first two rounds with three-time major victor Singh. A common malady for golfers of every shape, size and stature, bringing his game to the course is a far more hard task. He chipped in for birdie. In between on second, he puts his tee shot on right rough and went to left rough off the second.

Yes, golf is much easier for him than basketball.

Bubba Watson – who headed to Staples Center after his round to participate in the NBA’s celebrity All-Star Game on Friday night – is among the group at 4-under after shooting 70. He passed on an open jumper to drive toward the basket, only for Tracy McGrady to reject him. “It might be amusing to them, and obviously people think of it differently and I could just be overreacting”. “I always feel like when you’re in the lead going into a weekend, Saturday can kind of be one of the tougher days because you’ve got it almost all to lose”. “This big tank is about to hit me”.

But it’s the contrasting personalities and approaches of Watson and Cantlay that are most fascinating.

And he will head to the Honda Classic looking to win the event for a first time.

“I’m both pleased and also not very happy with some parts of it”.

“I didn’t really play that well today”.

Gary Hallberg and David Frost were tied for second.

That would see world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson make it on the number.

“The feeling of not feeling very good over my putts finally caught up with me”, Woods said.

“It’s just the whole thing”, he added.

Watson holed a bunker shot at the 14th hole to set the stage for achieving his career goal of a 10th PGA Tour title.

Yet while he sparked back into life with that eagle three from 26 feet at the downhill, par-five first, he hit some glorious shots coming home for no reward. His approach went into shin-high grass short of the green and he three-putted.

During an 11-hole stretch starting with No. 3, he made only one par.

“That was huge for the momentum”, he said.

Watson – who fell outside the top 100 in the world rankings a year ago – carded a two-under-par 69 to finish ahead of fellow Americans Kevin Na and Tony Finau at the Riviera Country Club on Sunday. “I kept missing it above the hole and that’s what was ticking me off”.

It was so close that Cantlay began to run toward the low side of the bunker to watch, a rare display of excitement.

“I missed every tee shot left and I did not putt well, didn’t feel very good on the greens and consequently never made a run”.

Overnight joint-leader Cantlay shot a 69 as former US Open champion McDowell closed the gap on him with a round that included seven birdies and two bogeys. His aggregate score of six-over par was certain to be insufficient on Saturday morning, when the final few stragglers were to complete the second round, which was halted by darkness. They were seven-under for 36 holes. I have to go back and work on it. Phil Mickelson had a 67 and was five behind.