J.B. Holmes came back down to earth, but his 1-over-par 73 still left him with a two-stroke lead over Ryan Moore midway through the WGC-Cadillac Championship on the TPC Blue Monster at Trump National Doral in Miami.
Holmes opened with a 62, but hit four balls in the water in the second round, including his drive on the final hole that led to a double-bogey 6 to cut his lead in half.
“If you had told me that at the beginning of week I would have a two‑shot lead after two rounds, I would have said, all right, sounds good,” said Holmes, who is seeking his fourth PGA Tour victory and is playing in the WGC-Cadillac for the first time since 2010.
“Played great today. Just had a few loose swings, and today, happened to not go in the right spot.”
Moore had two birdies and a bogey in his round of 71, while Adam Scott of Australia moved up the leaderboard with six birdies in a 68 that left him three shots back in solo third.
Masters champion Bubba Watson carded a 69 that included an eagle when he holed out from a greenside bunker on the 10th hole, and was five shots off the back in a tie for fourth with Henrik Stenson of Sweden, who overcame a double-bogey on the fourth hole to shoot 71.
Ryan Palmer made a late birdie to shoot 70 and was another stroke behind in a tie for sixth with Bubba Watson and Alexander Levy of France, who both posted 73s.
Defending champion Patrick Reed recorded a 73 and was nine shots back in a tie for 18th that included Jordan Spieth, who had a 69 despite a double-bogey 6 when he hit his approach into the water on the 18th hole.
Top-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland rebounded from an opening 73 and a slow start in round two with a 70, which will be remembered most for him throwing his 3-iron into the water in anger after hitting his golf ball into the wet stuff on the eighth hole.
“It’s not something I would recommend for kids to do,” McIlroy said after his round. “It felt good at the time, but I regret it now.”
Phil Mickelson continued to struggle with his second straight 74 and was tied for 41st.
