AFP/Thousand Oaks, California
Nick Watney, trying to keep the momentum of his recent Malaysian victory going into 2013, seized a two-shot lead Thursday in the World Challenge invitational hosted by Tiger Woods.
Watney, who finished last in the field of 18 in this unofficial event last season, had five birdies in his bogey-free, five-under 67 at Sherwood Country Club and was two strokes in front of Keegan Bradley, Graeme McDowell and Jim Furyk.
Bradley hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation, his only miscue of the day a bogey at 18. The American, whose 2011 PGA Championship triumph made him the first player to win one of golf’s major titles using a long putter anchored on his midriff, admitted he was fired up by the reaction to the announcement on Wednesday by global governing bodies the Royal & Ancient and the US Golf Association that they proposed to ban the technique in 2016.
“I’ve been catching such flak on Twitter and these other places, it would be good to kind of quiet them a little bit,” Bradley said.
He was pleased to have a chance to show there was more to his game than the long putter.
“I had a guy yesterday telling me to send my application in to Burger King for 2016,” Bradley said of the type of blasts he’s been getting via Twitter, although he added he’d had support on the social networking site and from the Southern California galleries as well.
Bradley said he felt the timing by the R&A and USGA, with no actual rule change anticipated until 2016, put him and others who “anchor” putters to their bodies when they putt in a difficult position since for now it remains legal.
“I feel like the USGA has really put an X on our back,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s exactly fair.
“When we started putting with it, they were legal and they still are. It’s a sticky situation and I hope people can see through that.”
Watney was sympathetic. He feels “anchoring” provides some advantage, although he stressed that “I don’t think they’re cheating by any means”.
“It’s difficult to go back and institute a rule now,” said Watney, who uses a conventional putter. “I don’t have to worry about it.”
His concern is to build on the gains he made late in 2012 after a slow start to the season.
In August, Watney erased a two-shot final-round deficit to win The Barclays, the opening event in the US PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs.
Last month in Malaysia, he shot an electrifying final-round 61 to win the $6.1mn CIMB Classic, holding off Woods and defending champion Bo Van Pelt.
Although the atmosphere at this unofficial event is more laid back, Watney said, “winning never gets old”.
 
Sun City title still for the taking after two rounds
Scotland’s Paul Lawrie leads the Nedbank Challenge by one stroke after finishing the second round with a four-under-par total of 140 yesterday, but rivals are breathing down his neck.
Martin Kaymer of Germany equalled Lawrie’s second round 69 and his 141 total leaves him trailing Lawrie by just one stroke at the 7,162-metre Gary Player Country Club course.
Kaymer shot five birdies at the northwest tourism resort of Sun City, blasting from tee-off with under-par putts at the second, fourth and seventh holes.
But the 30-year-old played down his strong performance.
“The first two, three hours are not as easy as they look on tv,” he said.
“You have to get the putt right.”
Consistent play in the rest of the round sealed his score.
“I just hit a lot of good golf, actually. Even my 15th and 16th I had good chances for birdie. Unfortunately you can’t make all the putts,” he said.
Especially thick kikuyu roughs have proven a tough challenge for the 12 elite players at the invitational challenge known as the “African Major”.
First round joint-leader Bill Haas from the US fell to third place after a one-over-par 73.
His total of 143 left him tied with Francesco Molinari of Italy, as well as South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, three strokes off the lead.
Defending champion Englishman Lee Westwood trails Lawrie by four strokes with a level par total of 144.
Disastrous is an apt description for the other first round leader, Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, whose two bogeys and two double-bogeys saw him drop to four-over-par 148, tied with South African Garth Mulroy, whose round of 73 drew him one up from the bottom of the table.

Supakorn soars ahead in King’s Cup
Thailand’s Supakorn Utaipat continued his dream run at the $500,000 King’s Cup when he signed for a five-under-par 67 to take the second round lead yesterday.
The 22-year-old compiled a two-day total of 13-under-par 131 to take a two-shot advantage over the chasing pack heading into the weekend rounds.
Singapore’s Mardan Mamat carded a 70 to take a share of second place alongside England’s Chris Rodgers and defending champion Udorn Duangdecha of Thailand at the Singha Park Khon Kaen Golf Club in northeast Thailand.
Taiwan’s Chiang Chen-chih made one of the biggest moves with an impressive 64 to take a share of fifth place with compatriot Lin Wen-tang, Australian Wade Ormsby, the Philippines’ Elmer Salvador as well as Thais Boonchu Ruangkit and Prom Meesawat at the King’s Cup, which is the third last event on the 2012 Asian Tour schedule.