GOLF ROUNDUP : Olazabal Increases Lead to 9 Shots

Jose Maria Olazabal continued his record-breaking assault Friday on one of the most difficult courses in the country and threatened to run away from the field in the $1.1-million World Series of Golf at Akron, Ohio.

The 24-year-old Spaniard added a three-under-par 67 to his opening 61 and reached the tournament’s halfway point with a total of 128 and a nine-stroke lead.

“With a nine-shot lead, I should win,” Olazabal said. “But I could lose. I’ve played for a while now, and I know anything can happen in this game.”

His closest pursuers, Hale Irwin and Larry Mize, agreed that Olazabal must come back for anyone else to have a chance.

“I just can’t see him playing four rounds like this, but maybe he can,” Irwin said.

Olazabal’s total is 12 under par and--by three strokes--the record for two rounds at the Firestone Country Club.

The 36-hole score also is--by two strokes--the best of any of the 34 PGA Tour events played this season. It’s only two strokes off the tour’s record for the first two rounds.

Irwin and Mize shared second at 137--Irwin with a three-under-par 67 and Mize with a 71.

Payne Stewart, Lanny Wadkins and Donnie Hammond were at 138. Wadkins shot 68 and Stewart shot 73.

At Brooklyn Park, Minn., Barb Bunkowsky, who has one victory in six years on the women’s tour, matched her career low round with a seven-under-par 65 to lead the $375,000 LPGA tournament by one stroke.

Beth Daniel was in a second-place tie at 66 with Cindy Rarick and Chris Johnson.

Peter Persons holed a 60-foot chip shot for an eagle-three on the 17th hole that vaulted him into at two-stroke lead in the $500,000 tournament at Chattanooga, Tenn.

Persons shot his second consecutive round of six-under-par 64 to move ahead of Mitch Adcock, who is tied for second with first-round leader Steve Lowery at 10-under 130.

Bob Brue, a non-winner in his five years on the Senior Tour, had seven birdies and shot a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke lead in the $350,000 Senior tournament at Kenmore, Wash.

Don Bies of Seattle shot a 67 on the 6,501-yard, par-72 Inglewood Country Club course. Tied at 68 were Tom Shaw, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Harold Henning. George Archer and Walt Zembriski were at 69.

Two-time NCAA champion Phil Mickelson of San Diego advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Denver by edging Mike Swingle of Seattle, 1-up.

Mickelson will play Bob May of La Habra in a quarterfinal match today. May defeated Bill Edwards of Moultrie, Ga., 1-up.

Chris Couch of North Lauderdale, Fla., shot a record-tying 63 on the Champion Course to win the PGA Junior Championship with a record score of 278 at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Tiger Woods of Cypress, who trailed by a stroke going into the final round, shot a par-72.