Defending champion Fredrik Jacobson has seized a one-stroke lead after Friday’s storm-halted second round of the US PGA Travelers Championship while Australian Stuart Appleby shot his lowest round of the year to fire himself into contention.
Sweden’s Jacobson shot a four-under par 66 and despite closing with a bogey, was the clubhouse leader after 36 holes at nine-under 131 in the $US6 million event at TPC River Highlands.
Jacobson could match Phil Mickelson from 2001 and 2002 as the only players to defend a title in the event’s 60-year history.
Three players were two shots off the pace on 133, including Appleby after his second-round 65, and Americans Blake Adams and Roland Thatcher.
Appleby, who has missed eight cuts in 13 starts this season, fired seven birdies in his low round of the year.
“I’m thinking better. I’m getting better,” Appleby said. “I wasn’t hitting it any good and I wasn’t thinking any good and I was just really finding it hard.”
Marc Leishman sits four shots off the pace after his second-round 66, while fellow Australian Aaron Baddeley (68) was a further shot back.
Australian Nathan Green and American Charley Hoffman were on the course at eight-under par when storms halted play with 77 players yet to finish their second round.
Green birdied five of the last seven holes on the front nine but has yet to finish the back nine. Hoffman, who began on the back nine and has 12 holes to play, had birdied five holes in a row when play was stopped.
Play will resume Saturday morning (Sunday AEST) with the third round played in threesomes off both the first and 10th tees.
“It’s easy to start thinking about the finish line already and I can see that,” Jacobson said. “Any tournament it’s tough to win. To win two in a row is probably tougher.
“But you have the thing going for you that you have some good memories to draw from, so hopefully that increase your chances.”
Jacobson, who began off the 10th tee, birdied the 11th and 12th and eagled the par-5 13th before stumbling with a bogey at 14. He added a birdie at the first hole and another at the par-5 sixth before a bogey at the ninth.
“It feels good to have some birdie chances,” Jacobson said. “It’s nice to have a couple of holes where you feel like if you hit the shot you have some good chances to make birdies.”
American Joe Ogilvie withdrew with a back injury after a hospital MRI exam following his first round on Thursday discovered a ruptured disk in his back. He said he might not be able to return until next season.