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Gainey takes 3-shot lead at Wyndham Championship

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The golfer got one of the best two-round scores in Wyndham Championship history.

Tommy Gainey is struggling with his tee shots. Hes having a tough time with his irons. Hes fighting a nagging wrist injury.Gainey shot a 65 on Friday to move to 12-under 128 and take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the final event before the start of golfs postseason.Gainey, who shared the first-round lead with Jeff Quinney, had six birdies and has the second-best 36-hole score in the history of the tournament.Ernie Els (66), Webb Simpson (65), Stuart Appleby (67) and Daniel Summerhays (65) were at 131. Jim Furyk (67), Alexandre Rocha (66), Paul Casey (67) and Retief Goosen (65) were four strokes back at 132.After recording five birdies and an eagle a day earlier during his career-best-tying 63, Gainey said he was going to light it up against the fresh greens he would face Friday morning.It didnt happen quite like that, but he did turn in another solid round that kept him in contention for his first PGA Tour win.Starting on the back nine, the South Carolina native had his first bogey of the tournament on the par-4 No. 11. Then, he warmed up. He birdied four of his final nine holes and closed his round with consecutive birdies, rolling in a 13-foot putt on No. 9 to finish.A left wrist he sprained while hitting out of the rough last month at the RBC Canadian Open has made it tougher to keep his tee shots in the fairways and hampered his work with the irons.I hit it worse today than I did yesterday off the tee. I hit my irons worse than I did yesterday, Gainey said. Its just hard to make birdies when you keep putting yourself ... in the rough. ... The harder you swing at it to get it out, just the more shock that goes into the wrist.Still, only Carl Petterssons 125 in 2008 was better than Gaineys score through 36 holes at the Donald Ross-designed, par-70 Sedgefield Country Club course.I havent really accomplished anything in two days, Gainey said. The only thing Ive accomplished is, Ive set myself up in good shape going into the weekend. But, still, theres a lot that can happen in one day ... but two days, thats like an eternity in a golf tournament. Im trying to do the same thing I did these first two days tomorrow.Will MacKenzie began the day four strokes off the pace, but moved up the leaderboard with eagles on both of the courses par 5s, Nos. 5 and 15, during his 65. The one-time prodigy from Greenville, N.C., is trying to reclaim his PGA Tour card after losing it last year, and the Wyndham represents one of his last chances to do that.
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