Golf roundup
Jacobsen moves into Senior PGA lead EDMOND, Okla. (AP) – Peter Jacobsen took advantage of his playing partner’s inside knowledge of Oak Tree Golf Club to take the lead at the Senior PGA Championship.
Jacobsen shot a 3-under-par 68 to move past Oak Tree member Gil Morgan on Friday for a one-stroke lead in the Champions Tour major.
Brad Bryant shot a 4-under 67 to tie Morgan (70) for second.
Jacobsen, who is looking to win his third major in as many years, played in Morgan’s group in each of the first two rounds and admitted being a bit of a copycat.
“It’s fun to play with somebody like Gil Morgan who not only knows the nuances of the golf course. He stands up there and drives it right down the middle and doesn’t give it a second thought because he’s so familiar with it,” Jacobsen said. “I just try to follow what Gil’s doing.”
Jacobsen was two shots better than Morgan on Friday and took the lead with a birdie at the par-4 18th. His drive went into the rough on the right side of the fairway but he was able to chip the ball over a ridge and get it to stop about 5 feet from the hole.
“I actually took one extra club and really was playing uphill into the wind,” Jacobsen said. “I tried to play about a three-quarter 6 iron and hit a perfect shot.”
Morgan, who led by one stroke after the first round, had six birdies for the second straight day but this time had four bogeys to finish at 6-under after two rounds. Bryant made a long eagle putt at No. 16 and birdied the 17th hole to tie Morgan, who Jacobsen called a “hometown hero.”
“I think it’s great that a lot of people are talking to you and supporting, rooting you on, so to speak,” Morgan said. “As you walk around the course that’s always a plus for an individual that makes you feel good hopefully. But at the same time I do think there’s some added pressure that you’re supposed to be able to play well here.”
Jay Haas, the Senior PGA runner-up in 2004, shot a 1-under 70 and was three strokes behind Jacobsen in fourth place. Loren Roberts, Tom Watson, Jose Rivero and Dana Quigley were another stroke back in a tie for fifth.
Jacobsen, the Champions Tour’s comeback player of the year in 2005, said he still feels lingering pain toward the end of his rounds from two knee surgeries last year and hip surgery two years ago. But he’s happy with the way he is driving the ball and hitting his irons.
He had a bogey-free round with three birdies but thought he could have done even better.
“Actually I struggled with the putter today. I missed a bunch of putts that I felt I had good chances to make,” said Jacobsen, whose other wins in Champions Tour majors came at the U.S. Senior Open in 2004 and the Senior Players Championship last year. “It’s just hard reading the greens. I’m not as familiar with the golf course as Gil Morgan and some of the guys who live here, so I found myself questioning my reads. I think it showed.
“I missed about four putts under 6 feet that I hit well and hit my line but I just didn’t read them properly.”
PGA Tour
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Darron Stiles grabbed a two-stroke lead with a 6-under 64 after the second round of the St. Jude Classic, where winds gusting to 20 mph for a second straight day played havoc with the dry fairways and hard greens at the TPC at Southwind.
Stiles turned in eight birdies with a double-bogey for a 133 total through 36 holes, giving him only his second lead on the PGA Tour and his first by himself. He shared the first-round lead here in 2003 with Jay Haas and Richard Johnson.
Tim Herron, who won at Colonial last week, shot a 65 and was tied with Tom Pernice (68) and first-round leader Chris Smith (71) at 135. David Toms (67), Brian Gay (67) and Camilo Villegas (66) were at 136.
The cut at 4 over was the highest since this event moved here in 1989, two strokes higher than the 2 over in the first year and only the third time the cut has come over par.
LPGA Tour
CORNING, N.Y. – Rookie Virada Nirapathpongporn shot a 5-under 67 to take sole possession of the lead after two rounds at the LPGA Corning Classic.
The 24-year-old former Duke star, who won the 2002 NCAA title and 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur, was at 133, one shot ahead of Brandie Burton (68) and first-round co-leader Nancy Scranton (69).
Another stroke behind was Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, who had a bogey-free 68 and was tied at 135 with Jeong Jang (69).
Liselotte Neumann (69) was in a two-way tie for sixth at 136 with Hee-Won Han (70). Meena Lee, who matched her career low of 65 to tie Scranton for the first-round lead, faltered with a 72 and was among six players another shot back.
Morgan Pressel, who struggled to a 2-over 74 Thursday, rebounded with an 8-under 64, the best round of the day, to surge into contention in her first tournament as a high school graduate. She was tied with Se Ri Pak (67) and three others at 138.
European PGA
VIRGINIA WATER, England – David Howell shot a 7-under 65 for a three-stroke lead in the rain-delayed BMW Championship. He had eight birdies and a bogey for an 11-under 133 total.
Heavy rain forced a one-hour delay at the start of play, and the second round was not completed. It will be finished on Saturday before the third round begins.
Nick Dougherty, like Howell, birdied the last two holes and his 69 gave him an early three-stroke lead before Howell began his round. Dougherty held second place, one stroke ahead of Robert Karlsson. Tied for fourth were defending champion Angel Cabrera (69) and Simon Khan with (68).
Colin Montgomerie, who missed seven cuts in his last eight events, survived at 1 under after a 72.
Retief Goosen is 3 under, while Ernie Els is 1 under after a 74.
Luke Donald had a 72 despite a hole-in-one on No. 2.
NCAA women
UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio – Southern California’s Dewi-Claire Schreefel had two late birdies in a 3-under-par 69 to capture medalist honors, and Duke won its second consecutive team title.
With a 10-stroke margin, Duke claimed its fourth title – second only to Arizona State’s six. The Blue Devils are the first repeat champs since the Sun Devils won in 1997 and 1998.
Schreefel, a sophomore from The Netherlands, started the day three shots back of Pepperdine’s Eileen Vargas.
Her 69 followed rounds of 73, 74 and 70 for a total of 2-under 286. She was the only player in the field to break par.
Duke’s Jennie Lee, playing in the same threesome with Vargas and Schreefel, shot a final-round 71 and was alone in second at even-par 288.