Azinger Back on Course at Pebble : Golf: He shoots a 67 for a two-stroke lead. Mediate has a hole in one at Poppy Hills, Stewart a double eagle at Spyglass.

Paul Azinger is regarded as one of the best young players on the PGA Tour. He has earned more than $900,000 each of the past two years and has won six tournaments since joining the tour in 1982.

However, he hadn’t played to his potential in the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am--until this week.

Azinger, 31, playing on the Pebble Beach course, shot a five-under-par 67 Friday for a 36-hole total of 134, two shots ahead of Jay Delsing and Rocco Mediate, who had a hole in one on the par-three, 193-yard 15th hole at Poppy Hills.

“I may have broken 70 here twice. If so, I’ve doubled my quota,” Azinger said. He shot a 67 Thursday at Spyglass Hill and will move to Poppy Hills today for his third round.

Although Azinger is the leader, “Rocky” is back and in contention, as he was last year.

Mediate, who has yet to win on the tour in six years, came close here last year when he trailed eventual winner Mark O’Meara by one stroke going into the final round. Then, Mediate shot a 77. “I made some stupid mistakes; I shot at a few pins and you can’t do it,” he said. “But after it was all over, I was only upset for about 30 seconds.”

As for the hole in one Friday on his way to a 67, Mediate said he hit a five-iron, and the left-to-right wind just pushed his ball toward the hole.

He said he wasn’t especially excited about his ace because he was already concentrating on what he had to do on the next hole.

“It took a couple of bounces and went in,” said Mediate, 28, who added that he has had nine holes in one since he began playing golf as a teen-ager, including three or four on his home course in Greensburg, Pa.

Even though he’s an Easterner, Mediate said he feels at home at Pebble Beach. “I’m intrigued by the courses here,” he said. “It takes all facets of your game to play well. . . . There are more things you have to think about.”

Mediate came into the interview room carrying his 23-pound, 4 1/2-month-old son, Rocco Vincent. He soon handed the child to his wife, Linda.

Unlike some players who have criticized Poppy Hills, the new course in the rotation replacing Cypress Point, Mediate said: “If you can control the ball, you can play the (Poppy Hills) course.”

Mediate was an aspiring pitcher until, as he said, “I messed up my arm. Screwballs did it. Then, I took up golf and I really don’t know why.”

More amazing than Mediate’s hole in one was the rare double eagle recorded by Payne Stewart on the par-five, 515-yard seventh hole at Spyglass Hill. Stewart used a two-iron for the first double eagle of his career. It helped him post a 71 and a 36-hole total of 140, six strokes behind Azinger.

Azinger said the Pebble Beach greens have mystified him in the past, but he’s figuring them out now.

His game was shaky earlier this year, and he finished in a tie for 56th last week at Phoenix. “I was in a desperate state in Phoenix,” said Azinger, who added that he was hitting the ball “crooked.” Translation: He was hooking.

However, he said he was helped by teaching pro Jim Flick and fellow touring pro Mark Calcavecchia and now is hitting the ball straighter.

Azinger said he hasn’t decided whether he will play in the Bob Hope Classic next week at Palm Desert. “I’ve been playing for three weeks in a row and I’m wrestling with it,” he said. He had to declare for the Hope tournament by late Friday. Or if he wins this tournament, he can delay his decision until Sunday.

Delsing, a former UCLA player, shot a 68 at Poppy Hills and, at 136, said he likes his chances.

The son of former major league baseball player Jim Delsing, Jay has yet to win on the tour in his seven-year career.

As for his round at Poppy Hills, he said: “I was just happy to get out of there at four under (par).”

Larry Mize, with a 66 at Poppy Hills, and Davis Love III, with a 70 at Pebble Beach, are also very much in contention at 137.

However, the first-round leader, tour rookie Mike Standly, followed his opening 65 with a six-over-par 78 at Poppy Hills.

He had a triple bogey on the par-four third hole, taking a 40 on the front nine. He had said Thursday that Poppy Hills was just a “good golf course.” He has probably changed his mind by now.

Golf Notes

Some prominent players had forgettable rounds: Arnold Palmer shot a 78 for a 151 total; Jack Nicklaus had a 77 for a 147, and Tom Kite also came in with a 77 for a 145. . . . Bob Borowicz and Kansas City Royal pitcher Bret Saberhagen are tied for the pro-am lead with Jay Delsing and Jesse Yohanan at 21-under-par 123. . . . Larry Mize, at 137, is in contention after missing the cut the past three years. . . . Davis Love III said that any course would be criticized here for replacing Cypress Point in the rotation. “One of the biggest thrills of my life was playing Cypress,” he said. “It’s a national treasure. It’s like moving the Masters to some other place in Georgia. It would be criticized no matter where it went.”