GOLF ROUNDUP : Qualifier Shoots 66, Shares Lead

J.P. Hayes of Appleton, Wis., tied Payne Stewart for the lead Friday after two rounds of the Disney Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Hayes, 27, a four-time Wisconsin State Amateur winner seeking his first pro victory, had an eagle and three birdies for a 31 on his back nine, finishing with a 66 and a total of 131, 13 under par.

“It’s a new situation for me,” said Hayes, who qualified for the field Tuesday as an alternate. “It’s a new experience no matter what happens.”

Stewart, trying for his first victory since the 1991 U.S. Open, made bogey on his final hole to drop into the tie with a 67.

Hayes, who plays out of El Paso, where he attended college, had never seen the Disney courses until late Wednesday.

But his 131 on the Palm and Magnolia courses is the best score on those layouts in the 13 years the tournament has used a three-course rotation.

Lee Janzen, the first-round leader after a career-best 62, shot a two-under 70 and trailed Stewart and Hayes by one shot in a group at 132 that included defending champion Mark O’Meara, Bill Britton and Ted Schulz.

John Daly shot a 67 and was eight under through two rounds, five strokes behind the leaders.

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The United States and Australia scored 3-0 victories in the Dunhill Cup at St. Andrews, Scotland, and moved toward an expected showdown in Sunday’s final.

Masters champion Fred Couples and U.S. Open titlist Tom Kite both shot two-under-par 70s, and Davis Love III shot a 72 in a sweep for the top-seeded U.S. over South Korea. Their South Korean opponents managed 78, 74 and 79 in a one-sided match.

Greg Norman’s 69 led Australia to a seven-stroke victory over Thailand.

The U.S. faces Ireland today.

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Dave Stockton shot a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-stroke lead over Kermit Zarley after the first round of the $500,000 Transamerica Senior Championship at the Silverado Country Club in Napa, Calif.

Bruce Devlin, Harold Henning, Jim Dent and Jim Albus were tied at 67. Al Geiberger and Dale Douglass were at 68. In all, 37 golfers shot even-par or lower on the Silverado’s 6,632-yard south course.