Golf Roundup : Eagle Propels Crenshaw Into 4-Way Tie for Lead

Ben Crenshaw’s late eagle moved him into a four-way tie for the lead Friday after 36 holes of the storm-delayed Byron Nelson golf tournament at Irving, Tex.

Crenshaw, who had a five-under-par 65, was tied at 131 with Donnie Hammond, who had a 63; Tom Byrum, who had a 65, and Bob Lohr, whose 62 tied the course record.

“I was hitting my drives longer than I know how to hit them,” said Lohr, who is 157th on the money list. “I had a 40-minute wait under a bridge when the storm hit.”

The rain delayed play for 2 1/2 hours, and the soft greens became a target shoot for the players with afternoon tee times. Play will resume at 7:30 this morning so that 18 players can finish their second rounds. None has a chance to catch the leaders.

Crenshaw’s eagle 3 at the 533-yard, par-5 seventh hole (he started on the back nine) was nearly a double-eagle as his 3-wood second shot stopped just two inches from the hole.

Greg Norman, who shot a 68, and Fred Couples who had a 67 despite a double-bogey on the last hole, were at 132.

Cindy Hill jumped out to a fast start in her bid for a second straight LPGA Tour victory, shooting a seven-under-par 65 for a five-shot lead in the opening round of the United Virginia Bank tournament at Suffolk, Va.

Hill, who won last week at St. Petersburg, Fla., birdied five of the last seven holes on the 6,151-yard Portsmouth Sleepy Hole Golf Course. Her round was one shot off the tournament record set by Dot Germain in 1983.

In second place after shooting 70s were Nancy Lopez and Patti Rizzo.

J.C. Goosie shot a course-record, eight-under-par 64 to take the first-round lead in the $250,000 Vantage Dominion PGA Seniors tournament at San Antonio, Tex.

Bob Charles and Chi Chi Rodriguez were tied for second at 67, and Bobby Nichols headed a group at 69. Charles set the previous course record of 65 last year in the same tournament.