PADRAIG HARRINGTON IS just two shots off halfway leader Bubba Watson after shooting 66 for the second day in a row at the Travelers Championships in Connecticut.
The Dubliner carded four birdies on his back nine, only dropping shots at the fourth and 17th holes on his way to a a share of second spot with American Patrick Reed.
The big-hitting Watson managed a three-under 67 on Friday, starting his second round with a bogey on the par-four 10th.
But he worked his way into the round beautifully with two birdies on each of the front and back nines at TPC River Highlands. The 34-year-old Florida native is eyeing his first PGA Tour win since claiming the Masters in April 2012, and a second Travelers Championship to add to his 2010 success – his maiden title on tour.
A stroke further back from Harrington and Reed are Americans Tag Ridings, Tommy Gainey and Hunter Mahan alongside Australian Nick O’Hern on seven under, with Ridings equaling the day’s best round with a five-under 65.
Contention
Matching that 65 on Friday was Keegan Bradley, who is among a quartet of players tied for eighth on six under. Bradley – the 2011 PGA Championship winner – hit five birdies in the space of six holes in a bogey-free second round to leave himself in contention with 36 holes to play.
Of the big names elsewhere in the field, England’s Ian Poulter recovered from a poor opening round to card a four-under 66 to make the cut by a stroke to be one-under overall. His countryman Lee Westwood, though, was on the other side of the cut, after carding a three-over 73 to see the world number 12 fall short of the weekend. American Jason Dufner also missed the cut at one-over overall, despite a one-under 69 on Friday.
Other big names to bow out after two rounds were American Rickie Fowler, South Korean YE Yang and Australian Aaron Baddeley.
