GOLF ROUNDUP : Faxon Works Overtime for Second-Round Lead

Brad Faxon finished his first round at 65, then shot a seven-under-par 64 in the second round Friday in taking a three-shot lead in the weather-delayed B.C. Open at Endicott, N.Y.

Faxon, whose first PGA Tour victory came last month in the Buick Open, was at 129 midway through the 72-hole tournament at the En-Joie Golf Club. Because Thursday’s round was cut short by a 3 1/2-hour rain delay, Faxon played 25 holes Friday and made 11 birdies, including three in a row early in the second round.

Blaine McCallister, who held a one-stroke lead after the first round, followed it with a 68 and was in second place.

Fred Couples, a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, was four strokes back.

Faxon had three birdies on the last seven holes of the first round. He went back to the front nine, which he had just completed, and birdied the second, third and fourth holes, making two 25-foot putts to begin the second round.

His birdie on No. 2 put him into a tie with McCallister and Couples at seven-under, and a birdie on No. 3 gave Faxon the lead. He then birdied Nos. 7, 10 and 12.

Faxon got into trouble on the 12th hole. His drive went into a willow tree on the left side of the fairway and his next shot struck the branch of another tree, leaving the ball about 150 yards short of the green. He recovered with an eight-iron within two feet of the cup.

After his seventh birdie of the day on No. 13, Faxon’s putting finally failed him on the par-four 14th, when he missed the green and two-putted for bogey. Two holes later, he made an 18-foot birdie putt.

Jim Dent birdied all four par-five holes and shot a six-under-par 66 for a one-stroke lead over Charles Coody after the opening round of the seniors Nationwide Championship at Alpharetta, Ga.

The 6-foot-3, 224-pound Dent had eight birdies and two bogeys over the par-72, 6,677-yard Country Club of the South course, a new stop on the tour after a three-year absence from the Atlanta area.

Coody made a run on the back nine to move within a stroke of Dent with a 30, scoring six birdies over the final seven holes--including five in a row--for a 67.

Leading money winner Chi Chi Rodriguez shot a 74. Rocky Thompson, a two-time winner this year coming off a victory last week, had a 75.

Mike Hill, the year’s No. 2 money winner, was at 70. Crowd favorite Arnold Palmer made an 18-foot birdie on his final hole for a 71.

Dent, who is 13th on the money list with $321,000, is looking for his first victory this year. He has three runner-up finishes.

His longest birdie was 15 feet. He also had a 10-footer. The other six were of three feet or less.

“It’s a great driving course,” said Dent, who had a 330-yard drive on the par-five, 508-yard 15th hole, missing an eagle when his putt lipped out.

He also missed putts of two and three feet, resulting in bogeys.

“Overall, I played good,” he said. “I just hit those two bad putts.

“The first was so bad it scared me for a couple of holes,” Dent said of the two-footer he left a foot short on No. 6.

Pat Bradley shot a five-under-par 67 in the Safeco tournament at Kent, Wash., to take a one-stroke lead over Mitzi Edge.

Bradley is two titles away from securing a place in the LPGA Hall of Fame. “It’s not something I’m dwelling on,” she said.

Edge shot a 69 and was two strokes ahead of Caroline Keggi and Deedee Lasker.