OLYMPIA FIELDS, Illinois, 14 June 2003 — Robert Damron reeled off four birdies in his first 11 holes to join fellow Americans Tom Watson and Jim Furyk at the top of the US Open second-round leaderboard yesterday.
The 30-year-old Damron, who fired an opening 69, picked up shots at the first, fourth, sixth and 11th holes to move to five under par, level with Furyk, who birdied the first and sixth at an overcast Olympia Fields Country Club.
At that point, the pair were a stroke ahead of 1982 champion Watson, who fired a scintillating five-under-par 65 on Thursday to set the first-round pace with qualifier Brett Quigley. Watson, whose magical touch on the greens brought the tournament to life on day one, began the second round with four successive pars before bogeying the par-four fifth to slip back to four under overall.
But the 53-year-old, who believes he is hitting the ball well enough to be a major factor this week, collected a birdie-three at the eighth to regain a share of the lead.
Quigley, who missed five successive cuts on this season’s PGA Tour, was a further two strokes back at three under after an erratic start yesterday. The 33-year-old, who missed the cut on his previous two Open appearances, bogeyed the 10th hole, his first, and also 13 before getting one shot back at the par-three 15th. But he then bogeyed the 164-yard fourth to fall back to three under with four holes remaining.
Other early starters making an impression included three-times major champion Nick Price, who rattled off three birdies in a front-nine of 33 to get to two under, and twice winner Lee Janzen, who was three under for the day after 10 holes.
Defending champion Tiger Woods, who eked out a scrappy 70 on Thursday, was another late starter, scheduled to begin his second round with British Open champion Ernie Els and US amateur champion Ricky Barnes at 1230 local time (1730 GMT). Els, winner of the US Open in 1994 and 1997, carded a one-under-par 69 on Thursday while Barnes opened with a 71.
Sorenstam Seeks Third Straight
LPGA Win at Giant Eagle Classic
In Vienna, Ohio, Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam seeks her third straight LPGA tour victory when the $1 million Giant Eagle Classic begins yesterday at the Squaw Creek Country Club.
After becoming the first woman in 58 years to compete in a PGA Tour event, Sorenstam won the Kellogg-Keebler Classic and the LPGA Championship in back-to-back weeks.
The rest of the field can only hope Sorenstam will finally show signs of fatigue this weekend, although she remained at home in Nevada to rest before departing for Youngstown, Ohio on Thursday.
