GOLF ROUNDUP : At 51, Nicklaus Gets His Second Wind

Jack Nicklaus, in his 30th season of PGA Tour activity, took another step toward a goal Friday.

“I said last year that my goal was to win on the regular tour and on the Seniors,” Nicklaus said.

“It didn’t work out.

“I have the same goal this year.”

He moved closer to the first half of that target with a 69 for a 137 total at the halfway point of the wind-marred USF&G; Classic at New Orleans.

“Under the conditions, a very good round of golf,” Nicklaus said after battling winds that gusted to 30 m.p.h.

At seven-under-par for two trips over the English Turn Golf and Country Club course he designed and built near the banks of the Mississippi, Nicklaus 51, is attempting to become only the third player 50 or older to win on the regular tour.

Sam Snead, 52 when he won the 1965 Greensboro Open, is the oldest. Art Wall was 51 when he won the Milwaukee Open in 1975.

No one has won on both the regular tour and the Senior Tour, for players 50 and older, in the same season.

Nicklaus, who plays a restricted tournament schedule, put himself in position to make a run at another title in decidedly uncharacteristic fashion. He scrambled.

“I played well,” he said. “I hit the ball well. I made some mistakes, but I made mistakes in the right places, places where I could get out of it.”

Nicklaus started from the 10th tee, birdied three of the first four holes and then hung on. He hit into seven bunkers, but escaped without damage.

He missed six consecutive greens in one stretch, the 15th through the second, and one-putted for par on all of them.

“It would have been easy to let the round get away from me,” he said. “But it didn’t. I was very pleased with that.”

Tom Watson had a 72 and was tied for second with Tom Sieckmann (68) at 139.

“From tee to green, I’m playing very well, better than I have in 10 or 12 years,” Watson said.

Ian Woosnam of Great Britain had the best round of the day, 67, and moved into a tie for fourth at 140.

“I like the wind. I’m comfortable in the wind,” Woosnam said.

Barb Bunkowsky, a non-winner on the LPGA tour since 1984, had eight birdies in a round of five-under-par 68 for a two-stroke lead after the second round of the Standard Register tournament at Phoenix.

Bunkowsky, tied for 11th place after a first-round 74 Thursday, had six birdies on her final nine holes for a four-under 142 total at the halfway mark of the $550,000 event.

Tied for second place were Betsy King, Danielle Ammaccapane and first-round leader Cathy Gerring.

Bunkowsky bogeyed the 12th, 15th and 16th holes to make the turn at two over.

She then birdied the next three holes and finished her round with short birdie putts on Nos. 5, 7 and 8.

“I took last week off and worked really hard on my game, especially my putting,” said Bunkowsky, who needed only 10 putts on her last nine holes. “I changed my grip on the putter and moved my left hand under. I feel like I’m putting as best as I can right now.”