Jacobson and Bae share lead

Last updated: 16th February 2013

Frederick Jacobson and Sang-Moon Bae are tied for the lead after 36 holes of the Northern Trust Open.

Both players are nine under par for the tournament, one shot ahead of John Merrick and John Rollins.

Jacobson had a near perfect second round, having executed his tee and iron shots with accuracy and precision.

The highlight of his round, however, was the 55-foot birdie putt from the edge of the green at the nine hole.

Even Jacobson concedes it was quite an extraordinary round of golf on a difficult course like the Riviera.

"That was probably the biggest bonus of the day," said Jacobson of the birdie at the ninth.

Bae was equally impressive on the second round of the tournament, sinking four consecutive birdies at the beginning. The most impressive of his birdies for the day, however, was the 25-foot putt on the 13th hole.

England's Luke Donald was also still in contention after the first 36 holes of the tournament, having finished just two shots off the pace.

Much like the two leaders at this tournament, Donald produced a clinical short game, which saw him chip in twice for birdie during the round.

The result is positive for Donald, who hasn't played competitively for about two months.

Other top players who kept themselves in contention and are expected to make an impression when the third round starts on Sunday are Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel and Webb Simpson, who are all on six under par for the tournament.

Phil Mickelson, who has witnessed a resurgence in his game over the past month is five shots behind the leaders and was satisfied with his performance on Friday.

"I had a little hiccup on the 10th," said Mickelson.

"I was just trying to make four and I couldn't even do that. But four under is not a bad round, with the exception of number ten. That took a great round and turned it into a pretty good round," said the former Masters champion.

Twenty of the players still in this tournament are separated by just five shots ahead of the weekend, setting up what could be an exciting two days of golf.