Gary Woodland surges into OHL Classic lead with strong second-round finish

Gary Woodland birdied three of the final four holes Friday for a six-under-par 65 and a one-stroke lead in the PGA Tour’s OHL Classic at Mayakoba.

Woodland played the first 36 holes without a bogey that included an opening 64 to get to 13-under 129 on Mayakoba’s Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. He won the last of his two tour titles in 2013.

“I haven’t been here since my rookie year, so it’s been since 2009,” Woodland said. “The golf course is in great shape. It sets up good for me. I can hit a lot of irons off the tees, lay back a little bit. The whole deal is to keep the ball in the fairway and then attack from there.”

Married last month, Woodland took last week and worked with instructor Butch Harmon off opening the new season in Malaysia and China.

“It was nice to have an off week last week,” Woodland said. “Went out and spent some time with Butch. After the wedding, kind of got a little rusty. Took some time off, but nice to get back in the swing of things. Very comfortable with where I’m at right now.”

Webb Simpson was second after his second straight 65. Scott Piercy had a 66 to reach 11 under. He tied for third in the season opener at Silverado.

First-round leader Chris Kirk followed his opening 63 with a 70 to drop into a tie for fourth at nine under with local favorite Abraham Ancer (68), Russell Knox (65), Charles Howell III (64), Ben Martin (64), John Huh (66) and Adam Hadwin (66).

Marc Leishman eagled the par-five seventh and followed with a hole-in-one on the 134-yard eighth, hitting a sand wedge for 134 yards. The Australian was at seven under after a 65.

Smith moves into lead at Ochoa Invitational

Sarah Jane Smith shot a four-under 68 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead in the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational.

The Australian birdied four of the first seven holes, dropped a stroke on the par-four eighth and birdied the par-three 14th. Winless on the LPGA Tour, she had a nine-under 135 total at Club de Golf Mexico in Mexico City.

Mexico’s Gaby Lopez had a 65 to match South Korea’s Mi Jung Hur (66) and Colombia’s Mariajo Uribe (67) at seven under in the 30-player event. South Korea’s Chella Choi and France’s Karine Icher each shot their second straight 69 to get to six under.

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, tied for the lead with Smith after a first-round 67, had a 72 to drop into a tie for seventh with 2008 winner Angela Stanford (68), Austin Ernst (67) and Jing Yan (67).

Michelle Wie was tied for 13th at three under after a 71. The 2009 winner in Guadalajara, she’s playing on a sponsor invite after failing to qualify. Mexican amateur Maria Fassi, tied for third after an opening 69, had a 76 to fall into a tie for 22nd at one over. She’s a freshman at the University of Arkansas.

Goydos’ 62 is good for three-shot lead on Champions Tour

Paul Goydos shot an eight-under 62 in windy conditions to take a three-stroke lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

The 52-year-old Goydos holed out from 167 yards for eagle on the par-four 12th and closed with birdies on the par-3 17th and par-5 18th on Desert Mountain Club’s Cochise Course in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Colin Montgomerie, third in Charles Schwab Cup season standings, was second after a 65. The Scot birdied the final two holes.

Points leader Bernhard Langer topped the group at 67. The top five in the standings — Richmond winner Scott McCarron is second, followed by Montgomerie, Joe Durant and Miguel Angel Jimenez — can take the season title with a victory Sunday. McCarron holed out from the fairway for eagle on the par-5 15th in a 69. Durant shot 70, and Jimenez had a 74.

Tom Pernice Jr., the winner of the playoff opener two weeks ago in California, also was at 67 along with Paul Broadhurst and Duffy Waldorf.

Noren has two-shot lead in South Africa

Alex Noren collected five birdies over the back nine holes to take a two-shot lead at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City, South Africa, on Friday as European Tour money list leader Henrik Stenson fell off the pace.

Noren, the tour’s form player who is seeking a fourth title this season, shot a 5-under 67 at Sun City to move 8 under overall after two rounds.

Five players, including former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, are two shots behind Noren. Stenson was one off the lead after the opening round but found the going tougher on Friday with three bogeys on the front nine and a double-bogey seven on the back.

Seeking the victory that could wrap up the Race to Dubai, Stenson carded a two-over 74 for one under overall and a tie for 17th.