Taylor Has Designs on Winning the Hope : Golf: Unheralded club designer leaves the drawing board and manufactures a three-stroke lead with a 64 at Indian Ridge.

And now, leading the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic after two days is . . . Harry Taylor?

Yes, that Harry Taylor, the 40-year-old Detroit native whose real job is designing golf clubs for Mizuno USA, the Harry Taylor who has spent more time in qualifying school than a chalkboard, the Harry Taylor who has earned all of $2,352 playing golf this year.

But there he was Thursday, posting an eight-under-par 64 at Indian Ridge, which meant that Taylor has the 36-hole lead at 14-under 130, three shots better than Tommy Armour III and Chris Perry.

Afterward, Taylor was asked if he really expected to be the leader after two days.

“Yes, I did expect it,” he said, facetiously.

“Naw, heck no, good gracious. I don’t know, you know. Gosh, my story is a weird one.”

Maybe so. Taylor has never finished higher than 140th on the money list in seven years on the PGA Tour and his best finish was a tie for fifth five years ago at Chattanooga, Tenn.

This may be why Taylor’s steady job has been in the club manufacturing business. That’s the drawing room. On the golf course, it has been a slightly different story.

Taylor has been to tour qualifying school 14 times. He got his playing card seven times.

“I am the ultimate veteran of the tour school,” he said. “I guess I have graduated from school more times than anyone.”

But if Taylor could wallpaper his home with diplomas, he also plastered enough birdies at Indian Ridge to tie Paul Stankowski, who had 64 at Bermuda Dunes, for the best round of the day.

Perry, the 1994 Nike Tour player of the year, came up with a 67 at Indian Ridge and hopes he has enough stamina to make it through 54 more holes.

Perry already has played five tournaments, so you know how he feels.

“Tired,” he said.

Armour is feeling sort of refreshed. He played the Nike Tour most of last year and came away impressed with the unspoiled nature of the younger players. Armour is 35.

“They’re not complaining about anything and really working hard on their game,” Armour said. “It was inspiring in a lot of ways.

“They’re not complaining about dry bread in the food line, baby care and so forth.”

Armour’s 67 was only one shot more than in his opening round and gives him some confidence about his game. He is the grandson of the “Silver Scot,” Tommy Armour, who won the 1927 U.S. Open, the 1930 PGA Championship and the 1931 British Open.

In a 1993 investigation, Armour told a grand jury in Las Vegas that he had traded golf equipment for marijuana. He was not charged with a crime but for two years, he said, he sort of slumped on the course.

“I just played bad golf,” he said.

There wasn’t much of that being played Thursday. Of the top 78 players after two rounds, only one failed to shoot at least par. That was Curtis Strange, who had a 73 at La Quinta.

There is a group of five at 134, four shots behind Taylor and one behind Armour and Perry. In that group are Kenny Perry, Joe Acosta, Marco Dawson, Keith Fergus and Robin Lee Freeman.

Kenny Perry followed up his first-round 63 with a 71 at Bermuda Dunes and wasn’t happy about it.

“It was a very mediocre round, a very boring round,” he said. “I guess it’s hard to come off a 63 and get motivated.”

Taylor, however, is motivated by his expectations for the rest of the tournament.

“I expect to win . . . no,” he said and then smiled. “I’m just going to try to hit it on the fairway and try to get it on the green.

“Have a nice week.”

You too.