Golf Roundup : A Dream-Round 65 Puts Tim Simpson in Lead

Tim Simpson, crediting a new approach to putting that came to him in a dream, shot a six-under-par 65 Friday to take a one-stroke lead in the second round of the $612,000 Anheuser-Busch golf tournament at Williamsburg, Va.

Simpson started on the back nine, where he rolled in four straight birdie putts. He had three more birdies after making the turn.

His two-day total on the 6,776-yard Kingsmill Golf Club course was 132.

“It’s good to be playing well again,” said Simpson, whose only victory in 11 years on the PGA Tour came in the 1985 Southern Open.

“What I was doing wrong, believe it or not, came to me in a dream after the first round of the U.S. Open,” Simpson said. The 31-year-old resident of Dunwoody, Ga., said he did not want to divulge the specific nature of the dream “because somebody might use it this week to beat me.”

At 133 were first-round co-leader Tom Sieckmann, John Cook and Scott Hoch.

Sieckmann, winless in 10 years on the PGA Tour, followed his opening-round 65 with a 68. Cook shot a 67, and Hoch carded a 66.

Mark McCumber, who shared the first-round lead with Sieckmann, had a 69 and joined Dave Eichelberger and Steve Pate at 134.

Chi Chi Rodriguez, winner of five tournaments so far this year, shot his second-straight 68 to take a one-stroke lead with a 136 at the midway point of the U.S. Senior Open at Fairfield, Conn.

Former NFL quarterback John Brodie was in front by as many as three strokes until he had a bogey and a double bogey on his final two holes.

Brodie, who finished with a 70, dropped into a tie for second place with Gary Player, who closed his round with birdie putts of 18 and 30 feet for a 68.

Arnold Palmer, after a second 69, was at 138.

“This is about the only time in your life you’re going to see a jockey take down a quarterback,” the slightly built Rodriguez said of Brodie’s misfortune on the final two holes.

Ayako Okamoto of Japan birdied three of the last four holes to shoot a three-under-par 69 and take a two-stroke lead with a 134 total after two rounds of the $400,000 du Maurier tournament at Laval, Canada, 10 miles north of Montreal.

Okamoto shot a course-record 65 Thursday on the 6,371-yard Islesmere Golf Club course.

Jill Briles had a 68 and was at 136. Kathy Postlewait was another stroke back after a 68. Penny Hammel, Rosie Jones, Dorothy Germain, Shirley Furlong and Jody Rosenthal were at 138. Defending champion Pat Bradley, who shot a 69 Thursday, dropped out of contention after a 73.

Ian Woosnam birdied six of the last seven holes for a four-under-par 66 and held off a challenge by Australia’s Peter Senior to retain the lead after three rounds of the $320,000 Scottish Open at Gleneagles.

Woosnam, the European PGA Tour money-leader from Wales, had a 17-under-par total of 196 for 54 holes, three shots ahead of Senior, who shot a 65.

Also shooting 65 over the 6,823-yard Gleneagles course was American Fred Couples, who started the day well back in the field. He was tied at 205 with another American, Tom Kite (69), and Severiano Ballesteros of Spain (72).