SAN DIEGO: D.A. Points saved his best golf for the tougher course at Torrey Pines and wound up in a share of the second-round lead with Ryuji Imada in the Farmers Insurance Open on Friday.
Points avoided a shaky start with a series of good par saves, then finished strong with an eagle and a birdie over the final four holes on the South Course for a 7-under 65.
Imada also played the South, which hosted the US Open in 2008, and shot a 68.
Imada, who was runner-up to Tiger Woods by eight shots in 2008 at the US PGA Tour event, has yet to make a bogey.
They were at 11-under 133, giving them a head start going into the weekend when it’s far easier to keep track of who’s doing well.
Torrey Pines has two of the most distinct courses on the US PGA Tour, with the South playing 2½ shots easier than the North. Points apparently didn’t get the memo.
“Funny enough, I’ve played this course a lot more than I’ve played the other one, and I feel pretty comfortable out here,” he said.
They were two strokes ahead of Matt Every, who had a 70 on the South, and Michael Sim of Australia, who had a tournament-best 62 on the North Course and finished with an eagle.
Robert Allenby, who opened with a 67 on what he called the “real course” — the South — didn’t fare quite as well on the North as he struggled on the bumpy greens. He still had a 69 and was three shots back going into the weekend.
