Greater Greensboro Open Golf Tournament : Lyle Shoots 64, Leads by 5 Strokes

Sandy Lyle of Scotland, the British Open champion, used his strength to set up an eight-under-par 64 and a 132 total that provided him with a five-stroke lead Friday in the second round of the $500,000 Greater Greensboro Open golf tournament.

“It isn’t often that everything goes to plan on the golf course. Today it did,” said Lyle, who matched the course record on the Forest Oaks Country Club course and played without a bogey.

Jim Simons, who managed a three-under-par 69 in the mild, hazy weather for second place at 137, said: “Five shots. That’s a lot, but with two rounds left, it’s not all that much.”

Lyle lashed a 3-wood second shot about 270 or 280 yards to set up a two-putt birdie on the ninth hole, then later stroked a 1-iron--”a soft 1-iron,” he said--250 yards on the way to ar birdie-4 on the 15th.

It was, by far, his best effort of the year and “about the same as the 65 I had at Augusta” in the Masters last year, Lyle said.

His five-shot lead represented the largest 36-hole margin in more than a year on the PGA Tour, since Calvin Peete led by the same spread in last year’s Phoenix Open.

“If he continues to play like this, nobody is going to catch him,” Simons said. “But Sandy hasn’t had a really good record in the United States, and I don’t think he can expect to play the last two rounds in 132.

“I’m not going to worry about it.”

Leonard Thompson, and former Greensboro champions Craig Stadler and Andy Bean were another shot off the pace at 138. Bean had a 70, Stadler a 69 and Thompson, the first-round leader, an erratic 72.

The Edwards brothers, Danny and David, and Buddy Gardner followed at 139. Danny, a two-time winner of this title, shot a 71, while David had a 72. Gardner shot a 69.