GOLF ROUNDUP : Daly Shoots Conservative 64 at Atlanta

On the hilly, 7,018-yard Atlanta Country Club course, John Daly made a concession to the Georgia pines that line the narrow fairways.

He used his driver only twice, on No. 1 and No. 18.

“You have to keep it in play on this course,” Daly said Friday after shooting an eight-under-par 64 to build a two-shot lead over Nike Tour player Brian Henninger at the halfway point of the BellSouth Classic.

“I played it smart yesterday and played it smart today,” Daly said of his strategy to use irons off the tees.

The 64 left Daly with a 36-hole score of 133, 11 under par.

Henninger, who narrowly missed retaining his exempt status on the PGA Tour last year, had a second-round 67.

Daly had shot a 69 in the opening round, despite having no practice on the Atlanta layout, on which he had competed only once, three years ago. He left Atlanta on Tuesday night to go to Orlando for a court appearance dealing with his visitation rights with his daughter, Shynah.

“It was 6 1/2 hours down, 2 1/2 hours in court, 6 1/2 hours back,” Daly said, adding that he drove because, “I hate flying.”

*

Two bounces--off a rake and a rock--led to two eagles and a tie for the lead of Legends of Golf tournament at Austin, Tex., as the teams of Chi Chi Rodriguez-Jim Dent and Dale Douglass-Charles Coody each shot opening-round 63s on the 6,777-yard Barton Creek Country Club course.

Four teams were a stroke behind, at eight under par.

Rodriguez eagled the par-five, 500-yard eighth hole when his fairway wood ricocheted off a bunker rake and rolled about four feet from the hole.

Coody’s eagle came on the 555-yard fifth hole when his four-wood hit a rock in a creek and came out about 60 feet from the hole and he chipped in.

*

Jane Crafter paid no attention to an ankle injury and shot an eight-under-par 64 for a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the $525,000 Sara Lee Classic at the 6,311-yard Hermitage Golf Course in Nashville, Tenn.

Meg Mallon and Laura Davies had 65s.

Crafter had strained her left ankle Thursday when she stepped off a curb while shopping.

The Australian native was in some pain, but had her ankle taped and started off quickly.

Crafter, who matched her career low, birdied Nos. 12 and 13 before bogeying the 14th hole. She responded with three straight birdies, finishing with eight for the round.