FORT WORTH, Texas, 22 May 2005 — American Kenny Perry made a bid for a second Colonial title in three years by firing a flawless seven-under 63 to top the leaderboard by three shots from compatriots DJ Trahan and Ted Purdy in Texas on Friday.
Perry, the 2003 winner at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, got his second round off to the best possible start with back-to-back birdies and never let off the gas making the turn at four-under and adding three more birdies on the back,With just a single bogey through two scorching rounds at Hogan’s Alley, Perry sits at 12-under 128.
After 81 PGA Tour events without a title until his win last week at the Byron Nelson, Purdy was in contention for a second as he continued to play superbly, signing for a five-under 65.
Joining Purdy at nine-under 131 is Trahan, who had a rollercoaster day mixing six birdies with three bogeys for a three-under 67.
Lurking one stroke further back at 132 is Kirk Triplett, who carded a four-under 66 for the second consecutive day.
Americans Steve Stricker and Billy Mayfair and Australian Rod Pampling are all on seven-under 133. World No. 4 Phil Mickelson looked headed for the exit most of the day as he hovered on or below the one-over cutline.
Creamer Joins Crowd Atop Leaderboard at Sybase Classic
In New Rochelle, New York, teenage rookie Paula Creamer charged up the leaderboard on Friday to join a group of four players sharing the halfway lead in the $1.25 million LPGA Sybase Classic.
Overnight leader Christina Kim couldn’t match her first-round 65, settling for a 72 to keep a share of the lead alongside Creamer and South Koreans Joo Mi-kim and Gloria Park on 137.
On a crowded leaderboard, the quartet boasted a two-shot lead over Malaysia’s Siew-Ai-Lim, 2003 champion Hee Won-han of South Korea, Germany’s Miriam Nagl and Michele Redman.
Heather Bowie was another shot back.
After birdies at the second and third, it looked like Christina Kim was primed for another low round.
But she double-bogeyed the par-three fourth and bogeyed the eighth before rebounding for a birdie at nine.
Creamer, 18, carded a 68. She teed off at the 10th and briefly took sole possession of the lead, but stumbled with a double-bogey on the par-three fifth. She rebounded with a closing birdie to regain a share of the lead.
Park, winner here in 2002, shot an erratic 70 that included six birdies and five bogeys.
Joo Mi Kim claimed her share of the lead with a 65 that included three birdies in her final four holes. “I played in the morning, and when I missed the fairway it was very, very difficult to hit out of the wet grass in the long, tall rough,” Park said.
Creamer has a tie for sixth and a tie for third to her credit this season. She missed the cut last week at the Chick-fil-A - her first of the season - but has rebounded and is poised to make a run at her first LPGA Tour victory.
Dawes Smashes Course Record at Philippine Open Golf
In Manila, Australian Jason Dawes smashed the course record with a sizzling nine-under-par 62 to lead the Philippine Open by one stroke from Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit after the third round yesterday.
The 31-year-old Aussie, winner of the Taiwan Open in 2003, was in fiery mood with an unblemished card of nine birdies at the par-71 Mt Malayarat Golf and Country Club and bettered the previous course mark by two strokes.
Dawes leads the $200,000 Asian Tour event on seven-under-par 206 ahead of the 49-year-old Boonchu, who paid dearly for a late stumble when he ran up a double bogey on the par four 16th hole en route to a 69.
Another Australian, Adam Le Vesconte, was a further stroke back after a 67 which was highlighted by an eagle two on the 16th.
Former Philippine Open champion Gerald Rosales and amateur star Juvic Pagunsan, last year’s runner-up, carried the local hopes as they finished the day on 209 in tied fourth place following rounds of 67 and 69 respectively.
Dawes has missed seven cuts this season but arrived in Manila with his confidence boosted after finishing tied 14th in last week’s Macau Open.
