Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images
After starting the day in a tie for first place, Henrik Stenson moved into sole possession of the lead with 18 holes left to play at the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster.
Stenson and Patrick Reed were co-leaders with matching scores of seven-under par following Friday’s opening round. The Iceman shot a 69 on Saturday to move to nine-under par overall.
Dustin Johnson is alone in second place at six-under par with a 69 in the second round. Four players, including Reed, are tied for third and one shot behind Johnson.
Phil Mickelson did improve on his opening-round 75 with a two-over par 73 on Saturday, but he’s in a four-way tie for 40th place at six over for the tournament.
LIV Golf Leaderboard
1. Henrik Stenson (-9)
2. Dustin Johnson (-6)
T3. Patrick Reed (-5)
T3. Talor Gooch (-5)
T3. Carlos Ortiz (-5)
T6. Turk Pettit (-4)
T6. Phachara Khongwatmai (-4)
T6. Lee Westwood (-4)
T9. Charl Schwartzel (-4)
T9. Martin Kaymer (-3)
Full leaderboard via LIVGolf.com.
Stenson got off to a rough start Saturday. He hit a double-bogey on the par-four third hole that dropped him to five-under and in a three-way tie for second place.
Things would stay that way for Stenson until he got on the seventh hole. The 2016 British Open champion made a long eagle putt that moved him into a tie for the lead with Reed.
LIV Golf @LIVGolfInv
???? Eagle! <a href=”https://twitter.com/henrikstenson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@henrikstenson</a> moves back to T1 on -7<br><br>WATCH LIVE ➡️ <a href=”https://t.co/5p2PyVAAev”>https://t.co/5p2PyVAAev</a><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVGolf?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LIVGolf</a> <a href=”https://t.co/pFJ93pWjdB”>pic.twitter.com/pFJ93pWjdB</a>
Reed missed some opportunities early in the round that came back to bite him later. He missed a one foot par putt on No. 4 and settled for bogey that moved him to six under.
On the back nine, Reed made back-to-back bogeys on No. 11 and 12 that dropped him three shots off the pace being set by Stenson. The Swedish star at one point was four shots clear of the field when he made consecutive birdies on holes 10 and 11.
A bogey by Stenson on the 18th hole brought his lead back down to three.
Johnson had some blunders in his round, but finished strong to keep within striking distance of Stenson going into Sunday. He missed a makeable par putt on No. 15 that dropped him three shots off the pace at five under.
The 18th hole saw Johnson get that stroke back with his final birdie of the round. The two-time PGA Tour major champion did have the distinction of being the first player in LIV Golf history to lose a tournament when leading after the second round. (He and Carlos Ortiz were tied for the top spot through 36 holes in Portland, but Branden Grace passed both in the final round.)
Johnson has a chance to become the second player in LIV history to come from behind and win. He’s in prime position to win the team event as the captain of 4 Aces GC.
The quartet of Johnson, Gooch, Reed and Pat Perez are 20-under par. Majesticks GC (Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield) are a distant second with a score of 14-under par. No other team is better than seven under through 36 holes.
Talor Gooch had the round of the day to put himself in contention heading into Sunday. The 30-year-old finds himself in a tie for third place at five under after carding a 64 in the second round.
LIV Golf @LIVGolfInv
What a day <a href=”https://twitter.com/TalorGooch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TalorGooch</a> is having ????????<br><br>WATCH LIVE ➡️ <a href=”https://t.co/5p2PyVSb63″>https://t.co/5p2PyVSb63</a><a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LIVGolf?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LIVGolf</a> <a href=”https://t.co/KZk9vXOaL8″>pic.twitter.com/KZk9vXOaL8</a>
Gooch was part of a seven-way tie for 36th place at the end of the opening round. He is chasing his first victory in a tournament since November when he won the RSM Classic on the PGA Tour.
The final round will begin with a shotgun start at 1:15 p.m. ET.
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