GOLF ROUNDUP : Rested Lopez Takes Lead in Hawaii

Nancy Lopez, rested after a five-month layoff, shot a five-under-par 67 Friday to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Lisa Walters after two rounds of the 54-hole Hawaiian Ladies Open at Honolulu.

Lopez has a 36-hole total of 135, nine under par, and moved into the lead with a birdie on the first hole of the Ko Olina Course.

Walters hit a poor second shot on the final hole that cost her a chance to share the lead and her 68 left her at 136.

Jane Crafter had the day’s best round, a 66, which left her alone in third at 139.

Four players were tied for fourth at 141. The group included Tracy Kerdyk, Liselotte Neumann, Laura Davies and Denise Baldwin.

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Al Geiberger shot a four-under 67, his eighth consecutive sub-par round this season, at the GTE-Suncoast seniors tournament in Tampa, Fla.

Geiberger’s first round was good for a one-stroke lead over Jim Albus and a two-stroke advantage over Terry Dill, Miller Barber, Gibby Gilbert, Dave Hill and George Archer.

In at 70 were Kermit Zarley, Jimmy Powell, Tom Shaw and Don Bies.

Geiberger toured the course at Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay at Cheval with a round that included four birdies and no bogeys. He missed three of his first four greens, but saved par each time.

“I feel pretty good about my game,” Geiberger said. “My confidence was high after winning the Tournament of Champions and I played well in Key Biscayne. Then I went home last week.”

The week off didn’t seem to hurt. He has played eight competitive rounds this year, all of them under par and four of them in the 60s.

“Al is kind of in a zone,” Albus said. “We all have our days, but he seems to have his months.”

Albus, who began play on the back nine because cold weather postponed early morning tee times, opened with birdies on three of his first four holes.

The course, aided by nasty winds, took its toll on a number of the Senior Tour’s marquee names. Jim Dent, Dave Stockton and Bruce Crampton came in with 78s. Chi Chi Rodriguez finished with a 75 and U.S. Senior Open champion Larry Laoretti had a 77.