Golf Roundup : Quinlan Shoots 68, Leads by 2

Sally Quinlan celebrated her 27th birthday Friday by shooting a four-under-par 68 to take a two-shot lead in the second round of the LPGA Championship at Mason, Ohio.

Quinlan had a total of 137 through 36 holes over the 6,389-yard Grizzly Course at the Jack Nicklaus Sports Center.

Quinlan said she planned a quiet birthday celebration, going out to dinner with friends, adding that, “I’ll let them buy.”

Among those friends, she said, was Laura Hurlbut, who shot the day’s best round, a 67, to move into a tie for second place with Amy Alcott and Sherrin Smyers at 139.

Alcott is seeking her second straight major title after winning the Dinah Shore in April. She had a 71.

Smyers, a native Australian who was also tied for second after the first round, had an up-and-down round that included an eagle, five birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey.

Nina Foust was at 140, while Dot Germain, Sherri Turner and Amy Benz were at 141.

First-round leader Debbie Massey followed her 67 with a 75 for a 142. She was tied with Danielle Ammaccapane, Marci Bozarth, Ayako Okamoto, Miki Cheng, Muffin Spencer-Devlin and Colleen Walker.

Lanny Wadkins had an eagle-3 in a round of 68 that left him in a three-way tie for the lead at the halfway point of the $750,000 Colonial National Invitation tournament at Fort Worth.

Sharing the lead at 135 after two rounds on the Colonial Country Club course were Clarence Rose and Scott Hoch.

Hoch and Rose, a playoff loser last week in Dallas, also shot 68s. Hoch regained a share of the lead with birdies on two of the last three holes.

Ben Crenshaw failed to make it a four-way tie for the lead when he finished off a 67 with a bogey on the final hole, leaving him one stroke back.

Wadkins said: “I played awfully well. I felt 68 was about as high as I could have shot.” He completed his round moments before a severe thunderstorm forced a rain delay of 1 hour 55 minutes.

Crenshaw was tied at 136 with Joey Sindelar and Steve Pate. Sindelar matched the best round of the tournament with a 65. Pate, a two-time winner this year, had a 67.

Bob Charles shot a tournament-record, seven-under-par 63 to take the first-round lead in the $300,000 Commemorative senior tournament at Scarborough-on-Hudson, N.Y.

The New Zealand southpaw, had an eagle, six birdies and a bogey on the 6,545-yard Sleepy Hollow Country Club course for a two-shot edge over Larry Mowry.

Chick Evans, a rookie playing his sixth event on the PGA Seniors Tour, was tied for third place at 66 with Charles Coody.

Scotland’s Billy McColl shot a seven-under-par 62 to move into a two-stroke lead in the rain-delayed opening round of the $416,000 Italian Open at Monticello, Italy.

Australian Greg Norman, the favorite for the $70,000 first prize, was seven shots back after a 69. Rain, which forced postponement of the opening round Thursday, again hampered play.