Skip to content

Dustin Johnson fires superb 63 to earn share of lead at BMW Championship

Dustin Johnson during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club

Dustin Johnson lit up the second round of the storm-delayed BMW Championship as he roared into a share of the halfway lead by breaking the course-record at Crooked Stick.

Leaderboard

BMW Championship

The tournament got back on schedule following Thursday's three-and-a-half-hour suspension in play, and Johnson took full advantage of the favourable scoring conditions in Indiana as he fired a sparkling nine-under 63 to join Roberto Castro at the top of the leaderboard.

Paul Casey's good form continued with a flawless 66 which lifted him into outright third, three strokes adrift of the leaders, while JB Holmes enhanced his claims for a Ryder Cup wildcard with a 65 despite dropping a shot at the ninth - his final hole of the day.

Rory McIlroy during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick
Image: Rory McIlroy is 10 shots off the lead going into the weekend

Rory McIlroy failed to capitalise on an encouraging start to his second round and littered his card with four bogeys in a wayward 72 which leaves him 10 shots off the pace, while Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and current FedExCup leader Patrick Reed are also part of a large group on four under par.

Three months' half-price Sky Sports
Three months' half-price Sky Sports

Watch live Premier League football, the Ryder Cup and F

But Johnson looks the man to beat heading into the weekend as he displayed the kind of form that earned him his major breakthrough at the US Open in June, and he continued to wield his new putter to devastating effect.

Dustin Johnson during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club
Image: Dustin Johnson carded two eagles and five birdies in his superb 63

He birdied from 10-foot range at the first and third, although he didn't need to pull the putter out of his bag at the ninth as he holed out from a greenside bunker for a thrilling eagle which capped an outward 32.

Johnson picked up further shots at 11 and 13 and then drained a 30-foot putt for another birdie at the 14th before knocking in another long-range effort for his second eagle of the day at the long 15th.

Also See:

Dustin Johnson during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club
Image: A change of putter has paid off for Johnson at Crooked Stick

Three cast-iron pars completed the low round of the day as Johnson closed on 14 under alongside first-round leader Castro, who returned a second straight 65 and kept a bogey off his seven-birdie card.

Casey went one better than his opening 67, making six birdies while also avoiding a blemish, while Holmes got off to a blazing start with an eagle at the 11th - his second - followed by four birdies in a back-nine 30.

Paul Casey of England hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the second round of the BMW Championship
Image: Paul Casey's 66 left him as the closest challenger to Johnson and Castro

Further gains at the first and second made it five birdies in six holes for the Hazeltine hopeful, but a wayward drive cost him a shot at the next and, after getting the shot back at the fifth, he scrapped his way down the ninth and ran up a frustrating six to slip back to 10 under alongside Chris Kirk.

Sergio Garcia is three further adrift after he fired a faultless 68 which featured a remarkable putt of over 70 feet from off the green at the long fifth that dropped for an unlikely eagle.

Rory McIlroy during a continution of the first round of the BMW Championship
Image: McIlroy dropped three shots in five holes mid round

But Day, McIlroy and Spieth all have plenty of ground to make up, although world No 1 Day produced an impressive response to his opening 73, dropping only one shot in a 67 which included a trademark monster putt for eagle at the 15th.

McIlroy started at the 10th and birdied the two par-fives on the back nine before he flirted with the water to the left of the 17th green and was unable to get up and down.

Jordan Spieth during the second round of the BMW Championship at Crooked Stick Golf Club
Image: Jordan Spieth handed in a mixed-bag of a 72

Last week's Deutsche Bank Championship winner dropped further strokes at the second and third after poor tee-shots, and he also bogeyed the eighth in between morale-boosting birdies at seven and nine.

Spieth handed in one of the more colourful cards of the day, particularly on the back nine as he started his round with birdies at 10 and 11, ran-up a double-bogey six at the 14th before getting both strokes back at the next as he chipped in from the greenside rough for eagle.

He got to six under when he birdied the sixth, only to bogey the next two holes as he settled for a rollercoaster 72, while Reed offset five birdies with three bogeys in a workmanlike 70.

Watch Sky Sports' derby day extravaganza on Sep 10 - Man Utd v Man City and Celtic v Rangers - as part of our three months half-price offer.

Around Sky