Graeme
McDowell made a timely return to form to sit one shot behind first
round leader Danny Lee, following a battling four under par round of 66
in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
The
Northern Irishman passed a testing examination of his game, with his
short game in particular impressing as Firestone Country Club played
firm and fast.
McDowell
made four birdies on the front nine, on the second, third, sixth and
seventh holes, before one birdie and one bogey on the back nine.
It
was his third consecutive round of 66 in Akron, after a strong finish
to the event last year helped him claim his first top ten finish in the
WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He shares second place with American Jim
Furyk, who bogeyed the last hole for his round of 66, with New Zealander
Lee setting the pace on five under par following a round of 65.
Englishman
Justin Rose shares fourth place with Rickie Fowler, with both players
carding rounds of 67, while Frenchman Victor Dubuisson, Sweden’s Henrik
Stenson and English trio Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey are a
further shot back, among an eight-way share of sixth position on two
under par.
Marc Warren had a 71 and Stephen Gallacher a 77
Key player quotes
Danny Lee – 65 (-5)
“It
was a good day for me. I left couple short birdie putts out there. It
may sound a little bit too greedy, but I did. And I was hitting it that
good, and I was very happy with my result.
“The course out there is in such phenomenal conditions out there.
It's very firm, greens rock hard. If you can just hit the fairways,
you're getting a lot of the short irons. Because the fairway is so firm
you can hit the ball very, very far out there. I think that's the key to
play this golf course, keep hitting it on the fairway and give yourself
a chance. If you happen to miss a fairway, just try to roll it off the
front of the green, and hopefully you'll make up and down.”
Graeme McDowell – 66 (-4)
“I
think it (the course) is a bit trickier this year. In years gone past,
the fairways have not really been a must because the greens have been
extremely receptive, and the guys can still hit the greens out of the
rough. I think this year, when it's firm and fiery, even the rough's
firm and fiery, the ball is bouncing into trouble when you do actually
hit it offline here, and the greens are hard to hold. So it's tricky. I
had my first top 10 here last year. I kind of cracked this nut last year
for the first time, and it was my best finish here ever. Maybe I’m
starting to feel a little more comfortable on this golf course at long,
long last. It was definitely a puzzle which had eluded me for years.”
Justin Rose – 67 (-3)
“My
round was pretty much all in the first six holes today. I got out of
the gate incredibly quickly. Before my round, I realised the course
wasn't yielding low scores today, and I almost surprised myself to get
off to such a quick start. I almost had to play patiently for the rest
of the day. I drove the ball pretty well. I gave myself opportunities to
make a lot of birdies, but just had a hard time getting it close really
on the back nine.”
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