John Huston shot a second consecutive 6-under 66 on Friday to take the second-round lead in the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro.
Huston was at 12-under 132, one shot better than K.J. Choi (69) and two in front of Justin Rose (65) and D.J. Trahan (69).
With another perfect day for scoring at Forest Oaks, the 36-hole cut came in at 3 under.
PHOTO: AP
"I like when scoring conditions are good and the weather's good," Huston said. "I think you just kind of tee off and see what the course gives you, hopefully take advantage of it."
Sergio Garcia had another 69 and was tied for 17th, with US Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman another shot back after a 70. Adam Scott made it to the weekend on the number after a 68.
Huston has seven US PGA Tour victories during his 18-year career, and the most recent one came two years ago at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. His previous three titles have come in October, so it might be time for another.
PHOTO: AP
"Hopefully. It hasn't been a very good year," Huston said.
To try to make the most of it, he has played in 13 of the past 14 tournaments, taking off only one week since Westchester in June. The quality of his game picked up during the run -- he has earned all but US$42,000 of his US$522,478 during that span.
Still, Huston sits 127th on the money list, two spots away from the coveted top 125. He already used his one-time exemption for being in the top 50 all-time, so he must play his way into status for 2006.
"I guess I decided I wasn't ready to give up on the game yet," Huston said. "So I just decided the best way to go about getting myself back into a better position would be to just start playing every week."
First-round leader Charles Warren, who tied the course record with a 62 on Thursday, ballooned to a 74 after a rough stretch on the back nine. He made the turn at 3 under for the day and cruising, then bogeyed three of the first five holes coming in.
After two more bogeys at 16 and 17, Warren had a whopping 41. At least he made it to the weekend, which he hasn't done 13 of his past 15 starts.
Rose used a string four consecutive birdies to start the back and added another on the 18th to complete his day. With the season winding down, he's hoping to get his first victory in the US to go with four others around the world.
Wendy Ward, Nicole Perrot of Chile, Karine Icher of France and Han Hee-won of South Korea each shot opening rounds of 6-under 65, and took the lead in the LPGA Office Depot Championship.
The quartet was one shot better than Natalie Gulbis, Jennifer Rosales and Gloria Park of South Korea.
Rookie Paula Creamer and British Open champion Jeong Jang were in a five-way tie for third at 67.
Two-time defending champion Annika Sorenstam was four back after a 69 that included four birdies and bogeys on Nos. 5 and 10, both par 4s.
Three groups were timed for slow play during the round that took some players six hours to complete because of numerous rulings. Darkness stranded a handful of players, who will finish the first round Saturday.
Ward, who earned her third career victory at Las Vegas in April, lost all three of her matches at the Solheim Cup, when the US defeated Europe 2 weeks ago.
"I'm hitting the ball so well, and I'm not being arrogant with that at all," she said. "I hit the ball well at Solheim Cup and was disappointed to not get a point out of that. I couldn't get the putts and chips to come together for me, so it never ceases that it comes another week later."
Ward opened with three consecutive birdies on the front nine at Trump National, the course of real estate mogul Donald Trump in this affluent suburb south of Los Angeles.
"It was just a matter of finally putting a complete round together," Ward said. "I have had good rounds in the past where it's one hole here and one hole there."
She made a 1-footer on the par 4, 315-yard first hole, then 2-putted on No. 2, one of three par 5s on the front nine. She hit a 9-iron to within 10 feet and birdied No. 3.
"Some of these holes run together," she said. "Don't tell Donald we said that."
Icher, whose round was a career-low, played mostly on the European tour last year.
"I'm really happy to play 6 under because it's a difficult course," she said.
"There was no wind today. Maybe tomorrow we have wind and it's going to be a different course."
Perrot spent last year on the Futures Tour after failing to retain her LPGA status. She has struggled this season, missing cuts and getting sick.
"I want to play this week and next week and I'm going to play in December, and that's it for the year," she said. "I have been resting and taking care. I am preparing for next year."
Gulbis, Rosales and Park each shot 66.
Gulbis' round finished in just under six hours, the longest one she has played all year.
"Every hole has got a panoramic view of the water. It's a tough place to spend six hours," she said, jokingly. "It's like a national park out there."
The 22-year-old Gulbis has yet to win a tournament. She also was part of the US Solheim Cup team.
Colin Montgomerie shot a 7-under 65 to take the lead after the second round of the Dunhill Links Championship at the Old Course, where the Scotsman finished second to Tiger Woods at the British Open in July.
The 42-year-old Montgomerie overcame a stiff wind to shoot four birdies and an eagle on the first six holes, then added another birdie on the 14th to tie the course record for the lengthened layout.
Montgomerie, at 135 total for two rounds, is one stroke ahead of Kenneth Ferrie, who shot a 68 at Carnoustie. Those two courses and Kingsbarns are being used for the event.
"It was very difficult today. I said yesterday I was looking forward to coming back here just two months after my positive Open," Montgomerie said. "I'm just right now comfortable with this course, with knowing what to do. When I had to be big, I was big. When I had to be short, I was short. I hit the ball in the right places."
Pierre Fulke of Sweden shot a 66 on the Old Course, including an eagle at the par-4 16th with a 6-iron from 185 yards. He shared third place at 137 overall with Ricardo Gonzalez, who carded a 68 at Carnoustie. Paul Casey and Brett Rumford are fifth at 138.
First round leaders Alessandro Tadini shot a 72 on the Old Course and shares seventh place, Rich Beem shot a 73 and is tied for 11th and David Howell is in a tie for 20th after a 74.
Montgomerie's 65 matched David Frost's record for the course, which had several new tees installed for this year. Montgomerie had a chance to break the record but left an 8-foot birdie putt short at the last hole.
Montgomerie, who shot a 66 here in July, said this was the first year he had felt so comfortable on the course.
"I felt at the Open I was beginning to be able to get round and putting my shots in the right place," Montgomerie said. "I used to make mistakes, mental errors, but I'm not making them now."
He holed 10-foot putts for birdies at the first and second holes, and hit a sand wedge to two feet to set up his third straight birdie.
He missed from six feet at the fourth but got his eagle from 40 feet at the 568-yard fifth. Then he birdied the sixth with a 9-iron to 18 inches.
Seven pars followed before a birdie at the long 14th, where he reached the green in two and two-putted.
At the Road Hole 17th, perhaps the most famous hole in golf, his second shot finished just over the green on a path between the green and the road. He had to sink a 14-foot putt to save par.
Ferrie, who beat Montgomerie for the European Open title at the K Club in July, shot his second 68.
Bruce Summerhays had five birdies in a six-hole stretch and shot a 6-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead over R.W. Eaks in the first round of the SAS Championship on the US PGA Champions Tour.
Summerhays had seven birdies on the 7,177-yard and Prestonwood Country Club course in his best opening round of the year.
"You always feel good when you play like this," Summerhays said. "The day started kind of bland and then I made a couple of good putts and got things rolling."
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