FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Kenny Perry is having vision problems that make it difficult for him to read greens or see clearly from long distances and shady spots.
Yet, Perry is so comfortable playing at the Colonial that he’s still in the lead by three strokes with a tournament-record score after two rounds.
Perry shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 on Friday for his best round of the year, moving to 12-under 128. That is the 36-hole scoring record at Colonial, where Perry also holds the overall scoring record of 19 under for his 2003 victory.
D.J. Trahan (67) and Ted Purdy (65), whose first PGA Tour victory came last week at the Byron Nelson Championship, were tied for second at 9 under. Kirk Triplett was another stroke back in fourth after his second straight 66.
First-round leader Patrick Sheehan was 10 strokes worse Friday, a 72 following a 62 that gave him a two-stroke lead. Sheehan, who like Trahan hasn’t won on the PGA Tour, goes into the weekend six strokes back.
After starting with birdies on his first two holes, Perry wrapped up a front-side 31 by hitting out of a fairway bunker to set up a 14-foot birdie putt at the 408-yard ninth.
Quigley takes lead in rain-delayed Bruno’s
HOOVER, Ala. – Dana Quigley tied a Champions Tour record with eight consecutive birdies in a 7-under-par 65, and held the lead Friday in the rain-delayed Bruno’s Memorial Classic.
Shortly after Quigley completed his round, thunderstorms moved into the area, ending play for the day at Greystone Golf Club’s par-72, 7,092-yard Founder’s Course. The first round will resume Saturday morning when 42 of the 78 players will finish their rounds. Second-round play will follow. Quigley’s string of birdies matched the tour record set by Chi Chi Rodriguez at the 1987 Silver Pages Classic and matched by Jim Colbert five years ago at the TD Waterhouse.
Quigley had the opportunity to birdie every hole on the back nine and break the record on the par-5 18th hole, but three-putted for bogey, missing an 18-footer for birdie plus the 3-foot comeback putt for par.
“I’m not at all disappointed,” said Quigley, better known for his record streak of playing in 272 consecutive events for which he is eligible. “I tried to make birdie but it was just a terrible read on the first putt. I thought it was going to break right and I put it out there and it actually broke left. “That’s OK, though. I made four 2s today, and I promise you if you do that your score will be low.”
Dodd leads by one after birdie at Irish Open
MAYNOOTH, Ireland – Stephen Dodd birdied the final hole Friday and grabbed a one-shot lead through two rounds of the Irish Open.
Dodd is at 5-under 139, one shot better than four others on the 7,301-yard Colin Montgomerie-designed course at Carton House.
Nick Dougherty, who shot a 72, and David Howell, who carded a second straight 70, are tied with Bradley Dredge and Pelle Edberg at 4 under. Dredge and Edberg shot 68s on Friday, with Edberg getting there with birdies on the final three holes.
Klas Eriksson, who was tied for the lead with Dougherty after the first round, shot a 76 on Friday to fall five strokes off the lead at 144.
Montgomerie did not birdie any of the four par-5s and shot a 73 for an even-par total of 144. Darren Clarke shot an eagle on the last hole and was one behind following a 75. Padraig Harrington was also at 145 after shooting a 72.
“The field is bunched. I still say 4 or 5 under could win,” Montgomerie said.
Top two rookies among four co-leaders
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – Paula Creamer and Joo Mi Kim, the leading rookies on the LPGA Tour, were among four players tied for the lead Friday after two rounds of the Sybase Classic.
First-round leader Christina Kim and 2002 Sybase champion Gloria Park were also at 5-under 137 after two trips around the Wykagyl Country Club course.
Creamer, who is 18 years old and 19th on the tour’s money list, made a 9-foot birdie putt on her final hole to cap a 3-under 68 and join the four-way tie for the lead in the $1.25 million event. She has other things on her mind as she finishes her ninth event as a professional. Creamer graduates from high school next Thursday in Bradenton, Fla.
“I think about it a lot on the course,” she said. “I am looking forward to next week and hopefully I can pull off a win for that. That would be fun but there’s a lot of golf left.”
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