Golf Roundup : Betsy King Fires 67, Ties Robin Walton for Lead in LPGA Tournament

Betsy King shot a five-under-par 67 Friday to tie Robin Walton for the lead at 137 midway through the LPGA’s $230,000 Henredon golf tournament at High Point, N.C.

Walton, a first-round co-leader with Amy Benz and Kathy Postlewait, shot a 69.

JoAnne Carner, Chris Johnson and Kris Monaghan were one stroke back, and Jane Geddes, the U.S. Open champion, was two behind.

Nancy Lopez, making her first appearance since leaving the tour last December to give birth to her second child, shot a 69, leaving her three strokes off the lead.

“I’d like to shoot under par again Saturday and Sunday,” Lopez said. “If that’s good enough to win, it would be fun, but I’m not worried about that. I just didn’t want this to be a negative week for me.”

Walton, who hasn’t won in eight seasons, could have had the lead to herself, but she bogeyed the 18th hole when she hooked an approach shot left of the green.

“With all those people watching, I just wanted to stake it,” Walton said. “So I got up there with a 6-iron and took this big swing and just hit a terrible shot . . . somewhere near the scorer’s tent.”

Bob Charles patiently waited out a morning storm interruption, and Gay Brewer beat a race with dusk for record-equaling 65s and a share of the first round lead in the $200,000 Digital PGA Senior tournament at Boston.

Charles, the most successful southpaw in pro golf, had the lead to himself until Brewer made his charge, just before darkness halted play at Nashawtic Country Club.

Brewer started on the 10th tee and made his turn in 34. He picked up a birdie on the next hole, took a bogey on his 12th, then reeled off five straight birdies. He just missed a new course record when his 10-foot birdie putt on his 18th hole slipped one inch past the cup.

Charles had eight birdies and one bogey in a round interrupted for more than one hour by a heavy thunderstorm.