Daily Wrap-up: Round 2, FedEx St. Jude Classic

text size

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Robert Karlsson keeps playing better and better at TPC Southwind. The Swede could be on track for his first PGA TOUR title if he keeps it up.

Karlsson is focused only on his next round.

FEDEX ST. JUDE

Full Leaderboard
Round 3 Tee Times
TOUR Report
Interview archive
Video Highlights
FedExCup projections

PLAYER NOTES

Karlsson fine in Memphis
Knost chasing Karlsson
Who made the cut?

KODAK CHALLENGE

This week's results
Interactive scorecards
Challenge schedule
Challenge coverage
Photos from No. 14

"That's a question we'll discuss when it happens," Karlsson said.

Karlsson shot a 5-under 65 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead after the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. He started a stroke behind first-round leader David Mathis and carded six birdies and a bogey to reach 9 under. Karlsson, who lost here a year ago in a playoff with Lee Westwood, has played his first six career rounds at the course under par with this his lowest score yet.

"It's actually a bonus that I did well here last year," said Karlsson, who is ranked 23rd in the Official World Golf Ranking and has 11 career European Tour titles.

Colt Knost (68) and Keegan Bradley (67) were tied for second. Bradley, the HP Byron Nelson Championship winner two weeks ago, is among a few who can earn a spot last week in the U.S. Open at Congressional by winning his second tour event since the last Open.

John Merrick (69) was 5 under, and Fredrik Jacobson (65) and Harrison Frazar (65) were another stroke back. Brandt Snedeker, The Heritage winner in April, shot a 66 to top the group at 3 under that included Mathis (72). With 83 making the cut at 2 over, David Toms (5 over) and Sergio Garcia (7 over) were among those who made an early departure for Congressional.

Nobody beat Karlsson over 72 holes here in 2010, and he credits the lessons learned on his first practice round here a year ago to avoid hitting into the rough on this 7,239-yard course as much as possible to better set up shots into the greens. Temperatures in the high 90s the past couple weeks have firmed up the Champion Bermuda greens.

"It can be better to have an 8-iron from the fairway or a 7-iron from the fairway instead of a wedge from the rough," Karlsson said. "The greens are firm, and the rough is really, really brutal to control the golf ball out of. You can hit it. you can hit it really far, very, very far because you can get some vicious flyers."

Starting at 4 under and teeing off on No. 10, Karlsson birdied his second hole and finished the back side with birdies on three of the final four holes. He hit an 8-iron to 8 feet on the par-3 11th to set up his first birdie. He saved par on Nos. 12-14 and then hit a wedge from 106 yards to 7 feet to take advantage of a front pin position on the par-4 15th to start his birdie string.

Karlsson found the rough with his tee shot on the par-5 16th but he recovered by hitting a wedge from 124 to 5 feet for a second straight birdie. He stuck a 7-iron from 175 yards to 4 feet on the par-4 18th to reach 8 under.

"I hit a bunch of good iron shots. It was nice obviously to get it going. As you said, it's not an easy golf course. You just don't walk out there and shoot 68, 67. It's always nice to get off to a good start. I played very well on m back nine as well. Gave myself a bunch of chances, and it was good," Karlsson said.

He made the turn and birdied the par-4 first after hitting his second shot within 4 feet of the pin despite being 124 yards out in the primary rough. When Karlsson rolled in a 14-footer on No. 6 for birdie, he became the first player to reach double digits below par at 10 under.

Karlsson dropped a shot with his lone bogey of the round and just his second this week when he three-putted from 34 feet on the par-3 eighth.

Bradley admitted to being a bit tired at the Memorial Tournament following his win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He missed the cut, and he said he and his caddie got back to doing what worked in Texas. He had a bogey-free round with three birdies.

"Never had to do all the media that I had to do. Obligations that a winner has to go through, which I'm so happy I had to go through it, but it took me a little bit by surprise. But feel good and feel rested now," Keegan said.

Knost is among the Nationwide Tour graduates from 2010 playing well here. The SMU graduate who turned pro in 2007 has made the cut in eight of his 16 PGA TOUR events this year and in good position for his best finish yet.

"Kind of been struggling coming into this event, but you know I just kind of took a new mindset this week and just got off to a great start yesterday and played solid again today," Knost said.

DIVOTS: Michael Bradley eagled the par-5 16th when he holed out from 66 feet from a greenside bunker. ... Kip Henley didn't miss out on a big check by deciding to play here. Usually Brian Gay's caddie, he chose to play instead of work after earning a spot by winning a Tennessee tournament last August. Henley missed the cut at 20 over, while Gay also missed the cut after a 2 over. ... Patrick Reed's pro debut after helping Augusta State repeat as NCAA champs didn't go too well. He missed the cut at 6 over.

TPC Southwind: Friday

EASIEST HOLE TOUGHEST HOLE The par-5 16th hole was the easiest with a Friday scoring average of 4.662. EAGLES: 1 BIRDIES: 66PARS: 72 BOGEYS: 8 OTHER: 4 The par-4 17th hole was the toughest with a Friday scoring average of 4.205. EAGLES: 0 BIRDIES: 14 PARS: 94 BOGEYS: 41 OTHERS: 2

About the leader

• Robert Karlsson extended his streak of consecutive rounds in the 60s at TPC Southwind to six with a 65 on Friday to stand at 131 (-9). He holds a 3-stroke lead over Colt Knost and Keegan Bradley. The last time a player held at least a three-stroke lead at the FedEx St. Jude Classic after 36-holes was in 2005, when eventual champion Justin Leonard led by five strokes. • Karlsson is now a combined 19-under in Memphis after carding rounds of 67-66-68-69 in his debut at the FedEx St.Jude Classic in 2010. • Karlsson, who lost on the fourth-playoff hole to Lee Westwood last year, is looking to become the first player since Ryuji Imada at the AT&T Classic in 2007-08to lose in a playoff and then go on to win the same event the following year. Phil Mickelson at the Northern Trust Open also finished 2nd in a playoff and then won the same two years (2007-08). • After a P2 last year, Karlsson is looking to join a group of just three players that have recorded top 10s in their first two appearances at the FedEx St. Jude Classic in the tournaments 53-year history. Jay Hebert finished T6 and T7 in 1958-69, Bernhard Langer produced a T2 and a 2nd in 1989 and 2001 and Bert Yancey finished T3 and won in 1965-66. • Karlsson has only opened with back-to-back sub-70 rounds in one previous start in 2011. He opened with a 69-68 last month at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial en route to a T5 finish, his best of the year. • The 2011 FedEx St. Jude Classic marks the first time Karlsson has held the lead/co-lead after 36 holes on the PGA TOUR. His previous best position through 36 holes was T2 at the 2008 U.S. Open, where he went on to finish T4. • An 11-time international winner, Karlsson is in search of his first PGA TOUR victory in what is his rookie year on TOUR. Karlsson has produced seven top 10s in 78 career starts on the PGA TOUR with his P2 here in Memphis last year his best result. • Only five players in the 53-year history of the FedEx St. Jude Classic have made the event their first PGA TOUR victory, most recently Dicky Pride in 1994.