Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Watney takes lead as Woods heads home

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship. Tiger Woods might need one.

Nick Watney lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship. (Gerry Broome/AP)
Nick Watney lines up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship. (Gerry Broome/AP)Read more

 CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Nick Watney answered what he referred to as a wake-up call at the Wells Fargo Championship. Tiger Woods might need one.

Watney had gone nine straight rounds on the PGA Tour without breaking 70 and had failed to crack the top 10 in all nine of his stroke-play tournaments. He worked hard to change that, and it paid off Friday with an 8-under 64 that put him atop theleader board at Quail Hollow.

Woods wasn't sure about the weekend, either, though he was certain he would not be spending time at Quail Hollow. He failed to birdie any of the par 5s, missed a 4-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole with the cut on the line, and headed home to Florida after a 73 left him well outside the cut line at even-par 144.

It was only the eighth time Woods has missed the cut - and twice in his last eight PGA Tour events dating to the PGA Championship in August - and the first time to miss the cut twice at the same tournament.

Champions Tour

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Tom Lehman had an eagle and five birdies on the first eight holes on the back nine, then bogeyed the par-4 18th for a 7-under 65 and a 1-shot lead after the first round of the Insperity Championship.

Fred Funk and Houston native Tom Jenkins were tied for second, and past winners John Cook and Bernhard Langer topped a large group at 68.