Sunday 31 August 2014 08:52, UK
American Ryan Palmer and Jason Day of Australia share the lead after the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
Palmer, who led by two shots after the opening round at TPC Boston, could only manage a level-par 71 following a roller-coaster front nine which featured three birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey seven on the par-five second.
A bogey at the 10th and birdies on the 12th and 18th moved him to eight-under 134 at the halfway stage of the tournament.
Day looked set to claim the outright lead after draining five birdies on a flawless front nine.
However, he could only add one further birdie at the 16th and three bogeys – at the 12th, 14th and crucially the 18th – left him with a three-under 68.
The pair are one clear of American duo Matt Kuchar and Billy Horschel, who both carded five-under 66s.
Kuchar, who hit a 69 on Friday, admitted he was struggling on day one after hearing of the sudden death of his caddie Lance Bennett's wife Angela two days earlier after suffering a seizure.
"Today was easier. I think that's the natural progression of how these things work,” Kuchar said. (I) still felt like Angela was on my mind almost every hole, every shot. But yesterday I had a hard time following through a couple of times."
A further five Americans sit on six under – Bill Haas (69), Russell Henley (66), Patrick Reed (68), Keegan Bradley (71) and Webb Simpson (70).
Scotland’s Russell Knox (70) and Martin Kaymer of Germany (66) head the European challenge on five under.
World No 1 Rory McIlroy was two-under ahead of the third round, the PGA Championship and Open Championship winner improving his first-round score by one shot with 69 on a scorecard including three birdies and a bogey on the front nine, but a double bogey on the 14th set him back before he ended the round with two further birdies.
The Northern Irishman sits one shot ahead of England's Ian Poulter, who struggled after his opening round 67 as he carded a 73 which included a triple bogey on the 16th hole and a double bogey on the 1st - among five birdies and two bogeys - to drop back in the field.
The shot of the day came from a player who ended up missing the cut, Robert Garrigus sending his 50-foot putt off the fifth green and onto the fringe to allow the ball to catch a slope to the left and roll in.
He could only manage a second successive 73 and finished one shot outside the cut-off on four over.
