GOLF ROUNDUP : U.S. Team Opens Wide Lead in Presidents Cup

The first day of the first Presidents Cup had all the drama of a presidential landslide as the United States opened a 7 1/2-2 1/2 lead over an International team in Friday’s four-ball and foursome play at Gainesville, Va.

Play started nearly two hours late because of fog but nearly ended early when the U.S. team swamped the foreigners on the first nine holes of four-ball play and took all five morning matches, holding off an International charge led by Nick Price.

Things got only slightly better in the afternoon for the International team, which lost the first two matches to go down, 7-0, before salvaging two victories and a tie in the final three.

There are still 22 more points at stake--10 in today’s four-ball and foursome play and 12 in Sunday’s individual matches.

“We felt like our guys were playing well going in and they’ve proven it, not so much by the standings but by the number of birdies there have been,” U.S. co-captain Paul Azinger said after the four-ball play.

“Birdies were flying around so fast I felt like I was in a duck blind,” said American Jim Gallagher, who teamed with John Huston in four-ball to birdie six holes on the front nine, including the last five.

The four-ball match of Davis Love and Fred Couples against Bradley Hughes and Price had only two holes of the first 15 in which there was not at least one birdie.

To show how good the Americans were, the worst round by an American team on the front nine of the morning four-ball, or better-ball, play was a four-under 32, by Phil Mickelson and Tom Lehman. Jay Haas and Scott Hoch shot 31, the teams of Corey Pavin-Jeff Maggert and Huston-Gallagher each shot 30, and Love-Couples birdied seven of the first nine holes and shot 29.

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Jeff Sluman shot a 68 and retained a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the B.C. Open at Endicott, N.Y.

Sluman, who came within a stroke of the course record with a 63 on Thursday, completed two rounds at 11-under 131, one stroke better than Mike Sullivan, who shot a 67. Robin Freeman, whose 65 was the best round of the day among the leaders, pulled to within two shots at 133. He was joined by Glen Day, who shot a 69.

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Jim Albus and Jimmy Powell each shot six-under 66s to share the opening-round lead in the Bank One Classic at Lexington, Ky.

DeWitt Weaver, who won the tournament in 1991, and Dale Douglass, runner-up the last two years, tied for third with 67s.

Jim Ferree, Mike Hill, Dick Hendrickson, Charles Coody, Dave Eichelberger and Gay Brewer were at 68.

Two-time champion Rives McBee was among seven players at 69.

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Betsy King, still one elusive victory away from joining the LPGA Hall of Fame, shot a four-under-par 68 to take a one-shot lead in the second round of the Safeco Classic in Kent, Wash.

King’s 68 gave her a 137 total. Britain’s Alison Nicholas, who also shot a 68, was a shot off the pace at 138 along with Michelle Estill.

First-round leader Annika Sorenstam and Rosie Jones were tied at five-under 139.