Rory McIlroy snapped his string of three straight missed cuts in style Friday, shooting a 5-under-par 65 to take the lead into the weekend at the St. Jude Classic.
McIlroy came to Memphis looking to tune up his game before heading to San Francisco for his US Open title defense at The Olympic Club. He birdied three of his final four holes, and had an eagle, two other birdies, and two bogeys to match his lowest PGA Tour round this year.
With a birdie on No. 18, McIlroy reached 7 under to break out of a four-way tie for the lead.
Jeff Maggert, tied for the first-round lead with John Merrick, shot a 68 to match J.B. Holmes (64) and Kevin Stadler (65) at 6 under. Merrick had a 69 to join Chad Campbell (67) and Kevin Kisner (66) at 5 under.
Davis Love III had a 68 and was tied with Padraig Harrington (68) at 4 under. John Daly birdied his first three holes on his back nine to get to 5 under, but finished with a 69 and was at tied at 3 under - making his fourth cut in five events.
Holmes had his low round of the year as he works his way back from brain surgery last September.
LPGA - Playing in her first tournament since injuring her left shoulder in early April, Se Ri Pak shot a 1-under 71 to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the LPGA Championship in Pittsford, N.Y.
Pak was at 3-under 141, one shot ahead of Inbee Park (70), Paula Creamer (72), Mika Miyazato (72), and Sandra Gal (71).
Defending champion Yani Tseng followed her opening 76 with a 75 to finish at 7-over 151 and barely made the cut.
A day after only 16 players broke par, just 12 did Friday, and again only three broke 70.
Cristie Kerr, the runaway winner in 2010, was 2 over after a 76. Slumping Michelle Wie missed the cut with rounds of 74 and 82. Cheyenne Woods, niece of Tiger Woods, missed the cut with rounds of 75 and 79 in her first tournament as a pro.
Grace Park, who made the cut at 6 over, announced her retirement after 13 injury-plagued years on the tour. She planned on finishing the tournament.
Champions - Bill Glasson shot a 3-under 69 to take a two-stroke lead over Russ Cochran after the second round of the Regions Tradition, the tour’s second major of the year.
Glasson had a 9-under 135 total at Shoal Creek in Birmingham, Ala., and has made only one bogey - Friday on No. 16 - in the first 36 holes.
Glasson is seeking his first victory since winning the 1997 Las Vegas Invitational for the last of his seven PGA titles, Glasson, who underwent the last of 25 surgeries late in 2009, hadn’t had the solo lead after 36 holes since the 1994 Tour Championship.
Curtis Cup - Captain Pat Cornett will attempt to guide the United States to victory against Britain and Ireland on crutches after breaking her ankle in a cart mishap in the amateur women’s competition in Nairn, Scotland.
Cornett, a 56-year-old professor of medicine, was a passenger when the cart crashed into a grandstand near the first tee after lunch. After her team won all three morning foursome matches, she was taken to a hospital and put in a cast.
Twelve-time Curtis Cup player Carole Semple Thompson took over as captain, and the team won the first of the afternoon fourball matches to go up 4 points. However, Britain and Ireland won the last two matches to trail 4-2 heading to Saturday’s second round.
European - Lee Westwood shot a 4-under 68 and maintained a three-stroke lead after the third round of the Nordea Masters in Bro, Sweden.
Westwood, at 16 under, will attempt to win in Saturday’s final round for the third time in his career, having won the title in 1996 and 2000.