Justin Leonard takes two-stroke lead; Tiger
four back
By MIKE NADEL / AP Sports Writer
LEMONT, Ill. (AP) - Justin Leonard saw the pairings and knew
he was going to enjoy the first two rounds of the Western Open.
"I was playing with two of my buddies," he said,
referring to Jeff Sluman and Davis Love III. "I said to my
caddy, 'Remind me to keep score and not to pick my ball up.' I
was real relaxed out there today. It felt like a practice round."
All rounds - practice and otherwise - should be as successful
as Leonard's was Friday. He birdied nine holes, including four
of the last five, to shoot an 8-under-par 64 and take a two-stroke
lead.
Tiger Woods also liked his playing partners - Mark O'Meara
and John Cook - but couldn't fashion another round like his 67
of Thursday. He was at even par and felt fortunate to be only
four strokes behind Leonard in the Motorola-sponsored tournament.
"I should have been a few under, but it could have been
a disaster," Woods said. "There are still 36 holes to
go, and I'm still in it."
Leonard excelled on an unseasonably chilly day at Cog Hill
Golf & Country Club. Of course, excelling on the club's Dubsdread
course is nothing new for Leonard, who finished second in the
1995 Western, eighth last year, 25th as an amateur in 1993 and
29th in '94.
"It's a course I'm really comfortable with," he said.
"I'm in good position to win this one. It's up to me in the
next two days."
The three golfers closest to Leonard, who won the Kemper Open
last month for his second PGA Tour victory, were Billy Andrade,
Mike Hulbert and Michael Bradley.
Sluman, a Chicago-area native, and Jay Delsing were another
stroke back. First-round leader O'Meara, Ted Tryba, Scott Hoch,
Brent Geiberger and Tommy Armour III joined Woods four back at
5-under.
After playing well Thursday, Woods said he felt rejuvenated
because he had taken a week off from the rigors of being the PGA
Tour's most popular player.
Friday, however, "I didn't seem to have the same intensity
level," he said. "It was a frustrating round."
It also wasn't easy playing in the sometimes-rainy, sometimes-sunny,
65-degree weather.
"It seemed like we went through three seasons out there,"
Woods said.
He missed a 2-foot birdie putt on 15, a par-5 that produced
seven eagles, and followed with a bogey on 16 when he drove the
ball into a bunker and blasted out behind a tree. He got back
to even for the day by making a 14-foot birdie putt on 17 and
saving par with a 10-foot putt on 18.
Only two of Woods' last 14 rounds have been under par. Before
that, he had 11 consecutive rounds in the red - a stretch that
included victories in the Masters and Byron Nelson Classic.
Woods' fellow pros expect him to make a run over the weekend.
"He probably will, but I can't be worried about Tiger
Woods because I know he's not worried about me," said Andrade,
looking for his first win since 1991. "If he sees my name
on the leaderboard, I don't think he goes, 'Oh my God, there's
Billy, I've really got to play well now.' That's the way you've
got to look at it." Divots: O'Meara bogeyed the first three
holes and finished 1-over for the day. ... Jimmy Johnston, who
missed the cut in 11 of his first 15 events this season, tied
a tournament record with a 30 on his front nine and finished at
68 for the day to go to 3-under. ... Defending champion Steve
Stricker birdied three of his first seven holes to briefly pull
into a tie for the lead at 6-under. But he shot 4-over the rest
of the day. ... Scott Simpson, with comedian Bill Murray as his
caddy, followed his opening-round 76 with a 67 to get back in
contention at 3-under. ... Bradley eagled the fifth hole on each
of the first two days. ... Leonard was runnerup to Phil Mickelson
in the 1991 Western Amateur and won it the next two years. ...
Kirk Triplett eagled Nos. 5 and 15 - and still just barely made
the cut.
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