England's Rose, who won the Memorial three weeks ago but failed to qualify for last week's US Open, missed a 12-foot birdie attempt at 18, leaving him sharing the lead with Ireland's Padraig Harrington, South Korean Charlie Wi and Australia's Mathew Goggin.

Rose was 1-under through 12 holes. His birdie burst included a 34-foot birdie putt at the 17th.

"I was more than happy to walk off there with a par," he said. "But sometimes when things are going your way, you roll in a 30-footer and suddenly, I was like, 'Things are going right now.'"

Harrington and Rose are trying to stretch Europe's winning streak in the United States to four tournaments.

"As I've been saying for quite a while, European golf is very strong and there's a lot of good young players finding their way in the game, learning how to win, given the opportunity," Harrington said. "You've seen three in the last three weeks and a few others during the year."

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell became the first European in 40 years to win the US Open with his victory at Pebble Beach on Sunday.

The Memorial was Rose's first US victory, and fellow Englishman Lee Westwood won the St. Jude Classic in Memphis the week before the US Open.

Harrington, Goggin and Wi all benefitted from ideal conditions in the morning, finishing before high wind and heavy rain forced a 90-minute delay.

Harrington teed off on 10 and birdied his first three holes as he reached the turn in four-under.

Goggin opened with back-to-back birdies and had three birdies on each side.

Both Goggin and Wi played without a bogey. Wi nabbed four birdies on the back nine, including three in a row from the 12th.

Fijian veteran Vijay Singh posted a 65 in the afternoon despite the difficult conditions.

He was joined by half a dozen other players on 65, including US Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin, who hit all 14 fairways in regulation.

Also carding 65 were Bubba Watson, Ben Curtis, Kevin Sutherland and Australians Matt Jones and Aron Price.
 
Larrazabal takes 2-shot lead in Munich

Spain's Pablo Larrazabal shot a second straight 66 to reach 12 under and take a two-shot lead early Friday in the second round of the BMW International Open in Munich.

Three birdies in his last four holes also took him four shots clear of the overnight leaders Bradley Dredge of Wales and Scotland's Peter Whiteford, who had not started their rounds after shootings 64s Thursday.

Larrazabal led by two from Austria's Marcus Brier who holed a 15-ft eagle putt on the 18th to complete a 67 and move to 10-under. He was joined in second place by Argentina's Ariel Canete.

The Argentine is playing the European Tour this year on a medical exemption after being forced to undergo surgery for a torn tendon in his left shoulder in 2009.

And although Canete said he felt no pain while compiling a 3-under 69, he said the tendon still regularly flares up and he hoped it would not return to trouble him over a weekend when he will be contention.

Of the three current and former Ryder Cup captains in the field, Nick Faldo missed the cut after a second-round 74 left him at 6 over though Germany's Bernhard Langer will play at the weekend after he shot 69 to reach 5 under.

Larrazabal is chasing a second career victory to add to his 2008 French Open title, and the 27-year-old Spaniard will be taking guidance from his 30-year-old brother Alejandro, the 2002 British Amateur Champion who is caddying for him in Munich.

Larrazabal, who has been working hard to curb his excitable personality on the golf course, will not be taking advice in that department.
 
Lee, Lewis, Kerr share LPGA Championship lead

In Pittsford, New York, Seon Hwa Lee, Cristie Kerr and Stacy Lewis shrugged off difficult conditions to share the first-round lead Thursday inthe LPGA Championship.

Kerr, America's top player in the LPGA world rankings, used some clutch putting to seize her share of the lead on 68, while both Lee and Lewis had rounds highlighted by eagles.

All had to cope with changeable weather, with heavy rain halting play briefly in the afternoon.

"When I practiced on the driving range it was totally nice weather," Lee said. "When I hit first tee, the wind was blowing really hard .. really windy all day long."

By her last hole, she said, it was raining, although she still managed to make birdie from a bunker.

The early afternoon rain had just started when Lewis reached the green at the ninth, her final hole. She had an eight-foot putt for birdie and admitted she was keen to get into the clubhouse.

Kerr has 13 career victories but only one major title, from the 2007 US Women's Open.

She started the week ranked fifth in the world and a victory would put her in contention to move up after Japan's Ai Miyazato supplanted South Korea's Jiyai Shin for the number one spot last weekend.

Miyazato, who has won four tournaments this season, struggled to a first-round 76 while Shin, coming back from an appendectomy, carded a 72.

The leaders had plenty of chasers with South Korea's Inbee Park, Japan's Mika Miyazato and Australian Lindsey Wright a stroke back on 69.

Juli Inkster, a 31-time winner on the LPGA Tour, celebrated her 50th birthday with a 71 that left her tied for 11th.