Golf Roundup : Upper, Sills Share a One-Stroke Lead at New Orleans

Brett Upper and Tony Sills finished the second round tied at 135 Friday to share the lead in the $400,000 USF&G; golf tournament at New Orleans.

Upper, who is 48th on the PGA Tour’s 1985 money-winning list, shot a four-under-par 68. Sills had six birdies and three bogeys for a 69.

First-round leader John Mahaffey was tied for third place with Gibby Gilbert, one stroke behind the leaders.

Mahaffey finished his rain-delayed first round early Friday with a 63. He played a disappointing second round, carding a 73. The 14-year PGA veteran attributed some of his problems to a course left soggy after a hard rain Thursday and unpredictable winds that gusted to 20 m.p.h.

“You’re just not going to shoot 63 on days like today,” Mahaffey said. “It (the wind) affected it quite a bit. It was much more difficult than yesterday--about 10 shots more.”

Pat Bradley again handled the tricky, gusting winds over the Royal Kaanapali North Course in Hawaii to reach the midway mark of the $300,000 Women’s Kemper Open at 138 for a two-stroke lead over Jane Blalock.

With the wind gusting off the West Maui mountains at 40 m.p.h., Bradley, who shot a five-under-par 68 to share the first-round lead with Jane Crafter, had five birdies in the final 10 holes Friday to go with a pair of bogeys for a 70.

“The key to my first two rounds has been my putting,” she said. “I’m rolling the ball very well, and I’ve capitalized on most of the chances I’ve had so far.”

Blalock, who has 27 LPGA Tour victories but none since 1980, shot a 69 for a 140. Patty Sheehan, this year’s top money winner, was third at 141 after shooting a 72.

Crafter ran into problems on the back nine and had a 77 for a 145 total.

Bob Rosburg and Bill Johnston each fired four-under-par scores in the second round to share the lead with Jim Ferree at 139 in the Vintage Invitational seniors tournament at Indian Wells, Calif.

Rosburg had a 67 on The Vintage Club’s 6,213-yard Desert Course, while Johnston had a 68 on the 6,911-yard Mountain Course.