GOLF ROUNDUP : Veterans Dominate Early at LPGA

Betsy King shot a five-under-par 66 Friday for an eight-under 134 total and a three-stroke lead over JoAnne Carner in the second round of the $1-million LPGA Championship at Bethesda, Md.

Amy Alcott, who with a victory could join Carner in the Hall of Fame, is at 138.

Play was suspended because of rain late in the afternoon with 45 players still on the Bethesda Country Club course, including Helen Alfredsson, who was four under with one hole left.

The round will be completed this morning, when the cut will be established, followed by the third round.

In a season dominated by the tour’s younger players--the last eight tournaments have been won by players under 30--the older echelon appears to making a comeback. King and Alcott are 36, Carner 53.

Alice Ritzman, 40, and Elaine Crosby, 33, were next at 139. Liselotte Neumann, a comparative youngster at 25, was also at 139 after shooting a 68.

“I said someone from the over-35 crowd would win this, and it looks like we’re coming through,” King said. “I just think it’s the law of averages. The young players have played well the whole year, and the older players had to play better at some point.”

Tom Kite shot a bogey-free 65 and held a one-stroke lead in the incomplete second round of the Byron Nelson Classic at Irving, Tex.

Kite was in the portion of the field that returned to the Tournament Players’ Club at Las Colinas at daylight to complete first-round play, then finished second-round activity shortly before dusk.

The other half of the field, 78 players, is scheduled for second-round play this morning in the tournament that was disrupted Thursday by severe thunderstorms. The third round is scheduled for this afternoon.

Kite, 42, fresh off a victory in Atlanta last weekend, completed a 67 early in the morning, then came back with the five-under-par effort that put him through two rounds at eight-under 132.

Ben Crenshaw and Marco Dawson were a stroke off the pace.

Larry Mowry, Harold Henning and Gibby Gilbert each shot five-under 67s to share a one-stroke lead after the first round of a 54-hole senior tour event at Kingwood, Tex.

Mowry, 47th on the seniors money list this year, shot a 30 on the front nine. But a double bogey on No. 14 brought him back to the field.

Lee Trevino, bidding for a fourth consecutive victory, shot a 70 and is tied with defending champion Mike Hill.

The two-under-par round extended to 25 Trevino’s streak of shooting rounds par or less on the Senior Tour.

Arnold Palmer finished the first round at 71, four behind the leaders.