Stewart Has British Open Record of 65

Payne Stewart apparently got out of bed on the right side Friday.

Stewart set a Royal Troon record with a seven-under-par 65, putting him two strokes behind leader Wayne Grady of Australia after two rounds of the British Open. Grady shot a 67 for a total of 135.

Stewart said he was disappointed with his 72 Thursday, adding that his wife blamed it on his attitude.

“She said that I got out of bed with a real stone look on my face,” he said. “She can tell how I’m going to play by the way I get up.”

As usual, Stewart was attired in the colors of a National Football League team, in keeping with his contract with NFL Properties. He wore the silver and black of the Raiders Friday.

Stewart said that a morning drizzle benefited those who played early in the day.

“The rain settled the dust, and you could be aggressive with your putts,” said Stewart, who made an eagle putt of 60 feet from slightly off the sixth green. He also had six birdies and a bogey.

Stewart was tied with Tom Watson for second place at 137. Fred Couples, Steve Pate, Scott Simpson, Mark McCumber and Mark Calcavecchia were at 139, which means seven Americans are within four strokes of the lead.

Tom Kite, who has been irritated by the British press crowing that an American hasn’t won a British Open since 1983 and that the European team has won the last two Ryder Cup matches, couldn’t keep pace with his countrymen Friday. He shot a 74 and was at 144. However, He made the cut, which was at 146.

Stewart has finished in the top six at the British Open three of the last four years. It’s the most successful showing by an American since Watson won five Opens, the last in 1983.

“I really enjoy playing over here. It tests your patience and imagination in hitting different golf shots,” Stewart said. “Playing here, you learn how to hit bump-and-run shots 30 yards short of the green, and it pays off.”

Jack Nicklaus said at the outset of the tournament that Watson is playing better now than he has in a long time.

But Watson, who shot a 68, said he isn’t the same dominating player that he was in 1980.

“I’m not the same golfer, but there’s still a lot of it in me. I’m not one for giving up,” he said. “The desire is there because I’m playing well. If you’re not playing well, desire is a phony thing.”

Watson, 39, has won five British Opens, one short of Harry Vardon’s record run that carried to 1914. And Watson won at Troon in 1982, the last time the Open was held here.

“I had some luck, some magic, some bad shots and great shots today. It was a typical Tom Watson round. However, I’m in a good position to win,” he said. “Now I just have to do it.”

First, however, Watson and Stewart must contend with Grady, who said he played smart, conservative golf.

“I’m doing everything pretty well at the moment,” said Grady, who got his first PGA tour victory last June in the Westchester tournament.

“As a boy I always wanted to go to America,” said the 32-year-old pro, who joined the tour in 1985. “I enjoy the life style there and traveling is much easier. And, although I’m a slow developer, I’m a pretty determined person and a lot of hard work is paying off.”

Grady missed only one green in his round of six birdies and one bogey.

“So far I have not hit the ball in a spot where I’ve been in trouble,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll be a little jittery tomorrow, but that will make me concentrate harder.”

Couples shot a 71. Britain’s Nick Faldo, a pre-tournament favorite who was paired with Couples, also shot a 71 and was at 142, seven strokes behind the leader.

“I just have to shoot two good rounds to get back in there,” said Faldo, who won the Masters last April. Curtis Strange, the two-time U.S. Open champion, shot a two-over-par 74 and was at 144. Seve Ballesteros had a 73 for a total of 145.

“If I had holed my five-foot putt at No. 16 for a birdie and parred the last two holes, instead of missing all three putts, I would have come in with a 70,” said Ballesteros, the defending champion.

“I think I’m too far behind.”

The Scottish-born Lyle, the local favorite, barely made the cut at 146. Ian Woosnam of Wales, another pre-tournament favorite, also squeezed in at 146, as did Ben Crenshaw.

Britain’s Wayne Stephens, the first-day leader at 66, shot a par 72 for a 138. Stephens received congratulatory phone calls into the night after his unexpected showing Thursday. He even watched his round on television, saying: “It’s quite embarrassing to see yourself on TV.”

“Its hard to believe,” Stephens said of play thus far. “I hope my name is still in the papers on Monday.”

The field was reduced to 80 players by the cut, with 33 Americans making the field.

Said McCumber, who shot a 68 (139): “I feel I’m right on the cutting edge of being in the groove and I’m very excited to be in the position I’m in,” he said.

He has been in somewhat of a groove all summer, winning the Western Open and tying for second in the U.S. Open.

British Open Notes

Arnold Palmer finished last in the field after two rounds. He was at 164 with 82s Thursday and Friday. Jack Nicklaus was still around, however. He made the cut at 145 after a 71 Friday. . . . Lee Trevino, who was two strokes out of the lead Thursday, shot a 73 Friday. “I have to shoot a good score tomorrow, praying for a lot of wind,” Trevino said. “When you are that far behind, you have to have some bad weather to try to make a move.” . . . Australia’s Wayne Grady, the second-day leader, when asked where he comes from: “Didn’t your mother ever tell you?”