Saturday, July 27, 2002
Watson 5 off lead at British Seniors
Kuehne grabs LPGA Big Apple lead; Funk, Hayes atop PGA John Deere
The Associated Press
NEWCASTLE, Northern Ireland — Tom Watson had the only bogey-free round of the Senior British Open, shooting a 2-under-par 69 Friday.
The five-time British Open champion trailed leader Noboru Sugai by five strokes. Sugai offset a double bogey at No. 15 with birdies at the 17th and 18th for a second straight 4-under 67 and a two-round total of 8-under 134 at Royal County Down.
Watson had birdies at the first and 15th, and shared third with Canadian John Irwin. “I didn't have the ball close to the hole, so I didn't have many birdie opportunities,” Watson said. “It was 20 feet, 30 feet, 40 feet away most of the day.
“But I didn't put myself in any bad positions except at the 12th and 16th. I drove on the fairway for the most part and hit virtually every green.”
Watson hit a 6-iron to 15 feet and made birdie on the first. He also made an 8-foot birdie putt at the 15th.
“I swung the club better than yesterday and hit a lot of quality shots,” Watson said. “But a five-shot deficit is not insurmountable, even with only one round to go.”
Glenn Mitchell of Virginia Beach, Va., struggled in the breezy conditions, finishing at 21-over 92 for a total of 181, 39 over. He tied the record for the highest 36-hole total on the Senior European Tour, set by Stan Barrow of England in 1993 at the Senior PGA Championship at Sunningdale.
FLEETBOSTON CLASSIC: Bob Gilder shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over five players, including two-time defending champion Larry Nelson, at Concord, Mass.
Gilder, coming off a playoff victory over Hale Irwin last week in the SBC Senior Open in Chicago, had a 5-under 31 on the back nine at the Nashawtuc Country Club, birdieing Nos. 16 and 18.
Arnold Palmer had the shot of the day, holing a 40-yard eagle chip on the par-5 10th. The 72-year-old Palmer shot a 75, his best round of the year in five senior events and three PGA Tour starts.
JOHN DEERE: J.P. Hayes shot a course-record 10-under-par 61 on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with Fred Funk in the John Deere Classic at Silvis, Ill.
“It was a lot of fun,” Hayes said after the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. “I felt like I was going to play well, but you never expect something like that.”
Hayes broke the TPC of Deere Run record of 62 shared by Kirk Triplett, David Frost and Pat Bates. Triplett and Frost shot their 62s in 2000, the first year the event was played on the course, and Bates matched the mark Friday.
Funk, coming off a second-place finish last week in the B.C. Open, shot his second straight 64 to match Hayes at 14 under.
“I feel really good mainly coming off such a good week last week,” said Funk, winless since the 1998 Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic.
Robert Gamez was a stroke back after a 64, and 2001 runner-up Briny Baird (64) and Nolan Henke (65) followed at 11 under. Bates joined first-round leader Mike Heinen (69) in a five-player group at 10 under, and B.C. Open winner Spike McRoy (67) was 9 under.
BIG APPLE CLASSIC: Kelli Kuehne birdied the first three holes Friday and went on to a 6-under 65 and a two-stroke lead after two rounds in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Chris Johnson matched the 65 to move into second at 6-under 136. She made birdies on the final three holes at Wykagyl Country Club.
Annika Sorenstam, who had a 66, and Hee-Won Han, who had a 67, were tied for third at 137.
Kuehne said the good start to a round is rare for her.
“It was awesome, but I haven't started out like that in a really long time,” she said.
“Usually my best rounds start with a bogey, when I have to tell myself, “Come on, get going.'
But to start with three solid birdies, that got me confident into the day.”
DUTCH OPEN: Germany's Tobias Dier followed his European tour-record tying 10-under 60 with a 67 on Friday to take a three-stroke lead at Hilversum, Netherlands.
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Watson 5 off lead at British Seniors
