Gary Woodland and Marc Leishman led the way on a day when much of the field went low in the CIMB Classic.
Woodland (pictured) posted an 11-under-par 61 to tie the course record set by Justin Thomas in 2015, and Leishman shot 62 as they wound up in a tie for the 36-hole lead in the second event of the new PGA Tour season on the revamped West Course at TPC Kuala Lumpur http://www.tpckl.com/ in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“It’s nice to stay aggressive out there,” said Woodland, who claimed his third PGA Tour victory in the Waste Management Phoenix Open last February. “This golf course suits up pretty good for me. I’ve had success here in the past. It’s nice to be back and playing well.”
Woodland collected six of his 11 birdies while finishing on the front nine to record a two-round score of 14-under 130, while Leishman, who has also has three victories on the circuit, had six birdies of his own coming home.
Leishman said: “A lot of good players at the top of the leaderboard. You’re going to have to play extremely well to have a chance to win.”
Shubhankar Sharma of India shot 64 and is one stroke back in a tie for third with Paul Casey of England, who had a 65, while first-round leader Bronson Burgoon totaled 69 and is two shots behind in a tie for fifth with Scott Piercy, who finished at 67, and Austin Cook, who came in at 68.
Nick Watney of Davis and Fresno State had a 67 that was equaled by Kevin Chappell of Fresno and UCLA, and they are one more down in a tie for eighth, while J.B. Holmes carded a 67 and is four strokes back in a tie for 10th with Emiliano Grillo (68) of Argentina, Billy Horschel (69), Louis Oosthuizen (68) of South Africa, and Joel Dahmen (68).
The fourth-ranked Thomas, who won the CIMB Classic in 2015 and 2016, is tied for 15th after a 69, and defending champion Pat Perez of San Diego also had a 69 and is tied for 36th.
For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html
