GOLF ROUNDUP : Rain Can’t Stop Inkster, Who Leads by Seven

Juli Inkster played through the rain and shot a seven-under-par 64 Friday, taking a seven-stroke lead after two rounds of the LPGA Big Apple Classic at New Rochelle, N.Y.

Inkster, who has won only once in the last 2 1/2 years, had seven birdies and 11 pars over the 6,109-yard course at the Wykagyl Country Club.

That put her at 130, seven strokes ahead of Nancy Lopez, who has won only once in the last two years. Jane Geddes, Amy Reed, Dana Lofland, Barb Mucha and Flo Descampe were tied at 138.

Inkster had five of her birdies while shooting a 30 on the front nine with her longest birdie putt from 20 feet. She opened and closed the back nine with birdies.

Kermit Zarley, who found something that improved his putting, and Dale Douglass shared the first-round lead with 65s in the $500,000 Ameritech Senior Open at Aurora, Ill.

Zarley and Douglass were one stroke ahead of long-hitting Jim Dent and hot-putting George Archer in the 54-hole event at the Stonebridge Country Club.

“I’m excited about my improvement in my putting,” Zarley said. “I found something last week that’s still working.”

Asked what it was, Zarley said: “I’ll keep it to myself for now.”

The group of Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriguez and Larry Laoretti, the winner of the U.S. Senior Open last week, didn’t fare as well. Palmer took a triple-bogey 8 and finished with a six-over-par 78. Rodriguez had a two-under 70 and Laoretti a 71.

Dan Halldorson shot a 71 and retained a one-shot lead in the $800,000 Chattanooga Classic when Mitch Adcock had double bogeys on two of the last four holes.

Halldorson completed 36 holes over the 6,799-yard, par-72 Council Fire Golf & Country Club course in 10-under 134, one shot ahead of Brad Fabel (66) and Dan Forsman (68) and two up on Adcock (71), John Inman (70) and John Mahaffey (69).