Jeff Sluman was eight shots worse and walked off the final green with a share of the lead. Paul Azinger was seven shots better and left Innisbrook in a state of shock.
The second round of the Chrysler Championship on Friday was only the halfway point for Sluman (70) and Jonathan Byrd (66), who were tied for the lead at 10-under 132 going into the weekend.
PHOTO: AP
Vijay Singh, going for his ninth win and a US$10 million season, had a 69 and was among those two shots behind.
It was the end of the season for Azinger, Olin Browne and so many others, who missed the cut and now have to wait two days to see if they earn PGA Tour cards for next year.
The final full-field event of the season brought Sunday pressure two days early.
Some players thrived. Jeff Brehaut is No. 152 on the money list, in jeopardy of going to the second stage of Q-school if he didn't make at least US$5,000. He was on the cut line -- even par -- with three holes to play when he made a 4-foot par putt on No. 7, then a 20-foot birdie putt on the next hole to breathe easy.
That wasn't the case for Azinger.
He is No. 123 on the money list -- the top 125 have full-exempt status for next year -- and had opened with a 75. The former PGA champion came on strong with five birdies and was looking good at 1 under with two to play.
But he missed the green on the par-3 eighth, chipped to 8 feet and missed the putt to fall back to the cut line. After ripping a drive on the ninth, his 8-iron came up 40 feet from the flag, leaving him a tough putt that slid sharply away from the cup. The first putt went 12 feet by, and Azinger missed the next one for a 68, one shot from a tee time Saturday. He walked briskly out of the scoring tent and screamed in disgust as he headed for the parking lot.
"You hate to see that," said Sluman, who played with Azinger. "You feel bad for him."
Azinger at least has a safety net, able to use an exemption from his career earnings if he finishes out of the top 125. That isn't the case for Browne, who is No. 125 on the money list.
Volvo Masters
Sergio Garcia birdied the last two holes to overcome a poor start and a referee's inquiry Friday to record a two-under-par 69 and snatch a one-stroke lead in the Volvo Masters at Valderrama.
But before his position was confirmed, Garcia had to survive a 30-minute investigation into whether he had broken the rules.
It was alleged he had not declared a second shot off the tee at the 179m third hole a provisional ball and then playing that ball without knowing that spectators had found the original.
Chief referee John Paramor finally absolved Garcia of any blame and his lead stood.
Under golf rules, once a player hits his first putt with a provisional ball, it then becomes the ball in play and the original is deemed to be lost.
Paramor ruled that Garcia had declared the second ball a provisional and had decided to continue to play it because no one told him the first ball had been found, something he called "bizarre in the extreme."
"I didn't think I had done anything wrong. I was surprised to see John afterwards," Garcia said.
After a bogey at the first hole and a double bogey five at the third, Garcia birdied five holes on the back nine to move past Alastair Forsyth into the lead with a six-under-par total of 136.
The Scot bogeyed the last for a 69 and was in turn one clear of Ian Poulter, whose 67 contained no dropped shots.
But Darren Clarke was not so fortunate as he piled up a disastrous six-over-par 11 at Valderrama's treacherous 490m 17th hole, where the green slopes forward with a lake right in front of it.
CJ Nine Bridges
Kate Golden fired an eight-under-par 64 yesterday to tie South Korea's Grace Park for the lead after a second round.
With a two-day total of 135, Golden and Park were two strokes ahead of Jill McGill of the United States, and Kang Soo-yun and defending champion Ahn Shi-hyun, both from South Korea.
"It was just a really good day. I drove the ball well and think I hit every fairway," said Golden, who carded six birdies and sank a dramatic 20-foot putt for an eagle in the par-5 18.
Hoping to win her second LPGA Tour title this year, Park shot a 69 Saturday with four birdies and one bogey at the par-4 8th hole. She led the first round with a 66.
"Today was a little bit of everything that did not work out. My shots were not great and neither was my putting," Park said.
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