CROMWELL, Connecticut, 27 July 2003 — Peter Jacobsen overcame consecutive bogeys on the back nine to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Greater Hartford Open as Suzy Whaley bowed out of the tournament at the halfway stage.
Jacobsen carded a three-under-par 67 on Friday to stand on 10-under 130 for the tournament.
Jay Haas, who had shared the first-round lead with Jacobsen, bogeyed the ninth — his last hole — to shoot a 68 and drop out of a tie for the top spot.
Whaley, a club pro who became the second woman after Sweden’s Annika Sorenstam to play in a PGA Tour event this season, shot an eight-over 78 and finished on 13-over 153.
Whaley finished ahead of three men in the field and missed the cut by 13 strokes.
Although she said enjoyed the experience, Whaley does not expect to spend much of her life in competitive golf.
Back near the top of the leaderboard, Darron Stiles shot a seven-under 63 to jump into a tie for third place with Paul Goydos and Willie Wood.
J.J. Henry, Craig Barlow, Brian Henninger and Robert Damron are another stroke back in a tie for sixth on 133.
Jacobsen, who has not won on the PGA Tour since 1995, began his round on the 10th hole and picked up two birdies to make the turn in two-under 33.
He reached four-under on his round with birdies at the second and third holes, but bogeyed the fourth and fifth to give back those shots. He birdied the par-five fifth and then parred his way home.
The 49-year-old Jacobsen has played reasonably well this season, with a pair of top-10 finishes in 13 tournaments and earnings of $310,495.
Lynn Leads With Campbell on His Tail at Irish Open
In Portmarnock, Ireland, David Lynn overcame his usual mid-season lethargy on Friday to produce a sparkling seven-under-par 65 and take the lead after the second round of the Irish Open.
But New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, who shared 53rd place with Lynn at the British Open last week, hit a 69 to land a stroke behind the Briton in second place on nine-under-par 135.
Campbell’s two playing-partners, first round leader Thomas Bjorn and Irish favorite Padraig Harrington had less than peaceful days.
Bjorn, who looked to have recovered from his British Open disappointment when he hit a record 64 in the first round, slumped to 74 to share third place with Swede Robert Karlsson and Ireland’s Peter Lawrie, all three shots behind Campbell.
It was even worse for Harrington who missed the cut by a stroke. The Irishman, whose wife Caroline expects their first child in just over two weeks, said he may now take seven weeks off, so missing the US PGA Championship.
Golden Oldies Lead Evian Masters
In Evian-Les-Bains, France, Juli Inkster and Rosie Jones are both 43, but the two Americans showed the youngsters a thing or two as they moved into a share of the lead on 14 under par after the third round of the Evian Masters on Friday.
Inkster fired a course record eight under par 64, while Jones had a 67 to stand two clear of South Korea’s Hee Won Han, the 2001 LPGA Rookie of the Year who won her first LPGA title, the Sybase Big Apple Classic, in New York last Sunday.
Swede Sophie Gustafson was another shot back on 11 under after finishing a 67 with a brace of birdies, while South Korea’s world number two, Se Ri Pak, moved into the hunt in a tie for sixth on eight under.
Inkster, the seven-time major winner from California, started her round in spectacular fashion by holing a 67-yard lob wedge shot for an eagle two at the 364-yard opening hole, and it set the tone for a round of seven birdies and one solitary bogey, at the fifth.
Mason Upstages Nicklaus, Watson at Turnberry
In Turnberry, Scotland, Briton Carl Mason upstaged both Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson when he scored a six-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead after the second round of the Senior British Open on Friday.
Mason was paired with the two American greats for the first two rounds, but outscored both of them for a nine-under 131 at the halfway stage of the tournament — two shots ahead of Watson and six better than Nicklaus.
