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Baird shoots 69 for one-stroke lead

Japan's Shigeki Maruyama reacts to a shot on the 14th hole during the second round of the PGA Zurich Classic in Avondale, Louisiana, on Friday. PHOTO: AP

Briny Baird shot a three-under 69 in the second round to take a one-stroke lead over Peter Lonard and Jay Williamson halfway through the Zurich Classic on Friday.

Baird birdied the final two holes. Good enough to keep him on the golf course this weekend rather than in a boat. He planned to go fishing, but bad weather kept him off the water.

"I screwed that up," Baird joked.

Bubba Watson, playing alongside Steve Elkington and Shigeki Maruyama, blamed Elkington for making noise while he was teeing off. The incident happened on the 10th tee and the trio left the course after the round without shaking hands.

"I heard some movement and who knows what it was," Watson said. "I was just over the ball and just trying to make the cut and trying to play better and not getting the right breaks. I was already mad for the day and I just took it out on them and I shouldn't have."

Tournament director Arvin Ginn said the incident was resolved quickly at the scoring area.

Watson shot a 69 to finish at two-under 142. Elkington (71) was in a group of players tied for sixth at five-under.

Williamson birdied the first hole and added birdies on No. 7, 11 and 15 in shooting 69. A bogey on 12 prevented him from catching Baird.

Lonard followed up an opening 67 with a 70. At one point, he was 10-under with a four-shot lead, but that was before bogeys on 15, 17 and 18.

Defending champion Nick Watney (67) was two strokes back at six-under.

ANDALUCIAN OPEN

AFP, MARBELLA, SPAIN

Australia's Matthew Millar grabbed a share of the second round lead at the Andalucian Open on Friday after firing a three-under 69.

Millar, eight-under for the tournament, tops the leaderboard with Sweden's Peter Hedblom, with the duo one shot ahead of Englishmen Robert Dinwiddie and David Lynn and Frenchman Thomas Levet.

Millar looked to have blown his chance of a share of the lead when a hooked tee shot on the par five 16th led to a bogey six

But, after a par three at the 17th, he then had a closing birdie three on the 18th for his 69.
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