By The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. – Charles Howell III and Stephen Ames got the best of both worlds Friday in the Bay Hill Invitational. They were among only 30 players to complete the second round, and they were atop the leaderboard.

On a day that felt like a marathon to some and a vacation to others, Howell ended his long day with another short birdie putt that gave him rounds of 71-68, giving him a share of the early lead.

Ames also played 36 holes and posted the same scores. He birdied five of six holes in one stretch, then finished with a 5-foot par to join Howell at 5-under 139.

Vijay Singh, who can return to No. 1 in the world with a victory this week, struck the ball flawlessly but couldn’t make a putt. He found a solution on the eighth hole by not having to putt – the Fijian holed out from 152 yards with a 9-iron and wound up with rounds of 72 and 68, leaving him one shot behind.

“I just didn’t make any putts all day,” Singh said.

Their position won’t be clear until the other 84 players finish their rounds – 37 of them, including Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, did not tee off and could wind up playing 36 holes Saturday.

Joe Ogilvie wound up as the first-round leader, finishing with a 68 and then returning more than nine hours later to play the first three holes of his second round. He birdied No. 3 and was at 5 under.

Morgan takes first-round lead on Champions Tour

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Gil Morgan only needed to move down the Southern California coast to regain the form he lost last weekend.

Morgan shot a 6-under 65 on Friday to take a one-stroke lead over Tom Jenkins and Wayne Levi after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Toshiba Senior Classic.

The 58-year-old Morgan, a 23-time winner on the 50-and-over tour, had an eagle and four birdies in his bogey-free round on the Newport Beach Country Club course. He tied for 53rd last week in Santa Clarita, shooting 76-73-76 in the SBC Classic.

“I didn’t play very well last week,” Morgan said. “I was a little apprehensive coming in here today, but all in all I played consistent.”

Ochoa opens daylight on the field in Phoenix

SUPERSTITION MOUNTAIN, Ariz. – Lorena Ochoa shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to open a two-shot lead in the Safeway International, with Annika Sorenstam just three strokes behind and the resurgent Michelle Wie also in contention.

Ochoa, the 23-year-old Mexican star who was the LPGA Tour’s rookie of the year two seasons ago, was on pace for an even bigger lead until she bogeyed the 14th hole. She birdied the 18th to finish at 12-under 132 halfway through the tour’s first 72-hole event of the year.

Soo-Yun Kang was second after a 66, and Sorenstam, the defending champion, was 9 under after a 69. Siew-Ai Lim, who shared the first-round lead with Ochoa, was 7 under after a 72, with Grace Park (67) and Karen Stupples (71) were 6 under.

Candie Kung (70) and Juli Inkster (73) were next at 5-under 139, and Wie followed her opening 73 with a 67 to join Laura Davies (69), Paula Creamer (71), Liselotte Neumann (70) and Laura Diaz (67) at 4 under.

Quiroz leads halfway through at TCL Classic

SANYA, China – Mexico’s Alejandro Quiroz shot his second straight 7-under 65 on Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, England’s Paul Casey and South Korea’s Choi Gwang-soo in the TCL Classic.

Montgomerie, the winner of the TCL Classic when it was last played in 2002, had a 65 on the Yalong Bay course. He needs to finish second to jump into the top 50 in the world ranking and earn a spot next week in The Players Championship.

“I know what I have to do here and that is to finish second to get into The Players Championship,” said Montgomerie, 54th in the current ranking. “And that is a real task.” Casey shot a 68, and Choi had a 67.

Quiroz is making his first start in Asia in the event co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

“It is a matter of trusting myself, trusting my game and trusting swing under pressure,” he said.

“I think I have the game to play in this company and now that I’m putting better than I have ever before, it’s is a matter of being relaxed and being loose.”